2003 Southeast Asian Games
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| Country | Vietnam | ||
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| Motto | Solidarity, Cooperation for Peace and Development | ||
| Nations participating | 11 | ||
| Athletes participating | ≈5000 | ||
| Events | 442 in 32 sports | ||
| Opening ceremony | 5 December 2003 | ||
| Closing ceremony | 13 December 2003 | ||
| Officially opened by |
Phan Văn Khải Prime Minister of Vietnam |
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| Athlete's Oath | Nguyễn Mạnh Tường | ||
| Judge's Oath | Hoàng Xuân Vinh | ||
| Torch lighter | Nguyễn Thúy Hiền (Wushu) |
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| Ceremony venue | Mỹ Đình National Stadium, Hanoi | ||
| Website | 2003 Southeast Asian Games | ||
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The 2003 Southeast Asian Games, officially known as the 22nd Southeast Asian Games (Vietnamese: Đại hội Thể thao Đông Nam Á 2003) was a multi-sport event held in Hanoi, Vietnam from 5 December 2003 to 13 December 2003 with 442 in 32 sports and disciplines featured in the games. The games were opened by Vietnamese prime minister Phan Văn Khải at the newly constructed Mỹ Đình National Stadium. This was the first time in history Vietnam hosted the Southeast Asian Games, the first time Southeast Asian games venues were assigned into two cities namely Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City and the first time Timor-Leste participated in the Southeast Asian Games under the name United Nations East Timor.
Vietnam is the seventh nation to host the Southeast Asian Games after Thailand, Myanmar, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines and Brunei.
The final medal tally was led by host Vietnam, followed by Thailand and Indonesia. Several Asian, games and national records were broken during the games. With little or no controversies at all, the games were deemed generally successful with the rising standards of competition amongst the Southeast Asian Nations.
The 22nd SEA Games organising committee was formed to oversee the staging of the games with Nguyen Danh Thaiwas as its chairman. The Vietnamese government was spending a lot of money upgrading sports facilities and building new ones, including the 40,000-seat stadium, My Dinh National Stadium which is the biggest stadium in the country, spending about 60 million to 70 million United States Dollars for its construction.
The 22nd Southeast Asian Games had 31 venues for the games, 20 in Hanoi and 11 in Ho Chi Minh City.
The torch relay of the 2003 Southeast Asian Games began with Ho Chi Minh City and passed through several cities in Vietnam before it ended in Hanoi, which is the main venue of the games.
The logo of the 2003 Southeast Asian Games is a stylisation of a legendary bird named "Chim Lac". Designed by Artist Nguyen Chi Long, it depicts the bird decorated the Ngoc Lu bronze drum, a typical antiquity of the ancient Dong Son Vietnamese culture. The Emblem is composed of harmonious and strong curves, creating a feeling of movement and strength which causes a sense of motion upwards represents the Olympic Spirit: "Faster, Higher and Stronger". The 5 lines of colours represents the tough and drastic competition in sports. The 10 intersecting circles, the symbol of the Southeast Asian Games Federation, represents the solidarity, friendship and nobility, which are highly esteemed by Vietnam - the host country of the 22nd SEA Games.
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