Based in Manahan Stadium, the city’s largest sports arena, the opening ceremony was highlighted by displays of traditional and contemporary Javanese dances. One dance involved 100 dancers wearing batik.

The event attracted about 2,000 athletes with mobility and visual disabilities from ASEAN nations.

They took part in 11 categories, such as athletics, power lifting, swimming, archery, table tennis, wheelchair tennis, chess, badminton, goalball, and bowling.

The bi-annual event is held following every Southeast Asian Games. A 119-member squad of Vietnamese athletes are competing in seven events: track and field, badminton, weightlifting, swimming, table tennis, chess, and tennis.

At the event in Kuala Lumpur two years ago, Vietnam bagged 73 gold, 57 silver and 45 bronze medals to rank third in the medal tally.

Swimmers Nguyen Thi Hao and Le Tuan Dat won gold medals and set new Asian records in the women’s and men’s 50m breaststroke, while Nguyen Thi Sa Ri was voted as the best female athlete of the Games.

Vo Hoang Anh Khoa and Le Thi Dung also set two ASEAN Para Games records in the men’s 50m butterfly and women’s 200m freestyle.