1:04:12 PM | 3/31/2026
Sun Life Vietnam today announced the expansion of Hoops + Health, a regional community program founded by Sun Life and Beyond Sport, reaffirming its long-term commitment to promoting healthier futures and active lifestyles for youth across Asia through basketball.
Building on two impactful years in Vietnam, the 2026 program will scale up school engagement, community tournaments and court revitalization efforts, reaching more than 3,000 children across Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi and Da Nang.
Hoops + Health was created in 2023 by Sun Life and global Beyond Sport Foundation to address rising physical inactivity and sedentary behaviour among youth in Asia. According to the 2022 Active Healthy Kids Global Alliance report, fewer than 20% of children aged 6–17 in several Asian countries achieve the recommended 60 minutes of daily moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. Vietnam received a grade of “F” in overall physical activity, underscoring the urgent need for collective action.
In Vietnam, Sun Life will continue its partnership with Saigon Heat, expanding school-based basketball initiatives and community programs. The 2026 Hoops + Health program will focus on four key initiatives:
Basketball Equipment Donations to 18 Schools
In 2026, Sun Life will provide basketball equipment packages to 18 schools across the three cities, ensuring that more students have access to safe and quality sporting infrastructure. Each school will receive new basketball hoops, basketballs and training bibs to support long-term physical education and extracurricular activities.
The equipment handover will be marked by a dedicated School Engagement Day, where students participate in a professionally led basketball clinic. These sessions will introduce fundamental skills such as shooting, passing and dribbling while encouraging teamwork, discipline and confidence. Schools are selected based on demonstrated need and commitment to engage a significant number of students, ensuring the equipment is actively used and embedded into school life.
School Basketball Training Programs
This year, the program will roll out its School Basketball Training Program across 18 schools in Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi and Da Nang, directly engaging approximately 3,600 students through on-campus activation days. Each participating school will host large-scale engagement sessions reaching 150
To deepen impact, the program will deliver 72 structured training sessions across the three cities - 24 sessions per city - with up to 35 students per session. Led by professional coaches and basketball KOLs in collaboration with local Physical Education teachers, the program will also incorporate a train-the-trainer model to equip educators with practical coaching methods, ensuring sustainable, long-term physical activity opportunities within schools beyond the 2026 program cycle.
In addition, in 2026, the accessibility of Hoops + Health coach education has been improved through a multi-lingual self-paced digital course. The course equips coaches in all 6 markets, including Vietnam, with activities, skills and written resources to effectively use basketball to teach healthy living skills to young people.
3x3 “High Hoops Day” Community Tournaments
To celebrate the program’s progress and extend its reach beyond schools, Hoops + Health 2026 will culminate in two city-wide 3x3 “High Hoops Day” tournaments in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi. The tournaments will bring together students from 18 participating schools in 2026, alongside 10 schools that previously received equipment donations in 2025, creating a broad inter-school platform for friendly competition and community engagement. Designed for U10 and U14 age groups, the events are expected to feature between 16 and 24 teams, with each school eligible to register both boys’ and girls’ teams in each division.
Each tournament will be a full-day activation hosted at a designated hub school with full-court facilities, combining competitive 3x3 matches with skill challenges and beginner-friendly training zones to ensure inclusivity for children new to the sport. The events are expected to directly engage more than 400 students and parents, while also providing Sun Life employees and sales representatives with opportunities to connect meaningfully with families.
Sustaining the Sun Life Sport Space
As part of its commitment to providing safe and accessible community hubs, Sun Life will continue maintaining and upgrading its branded sports space. Renovation and maintenance efforts will ensure year-round accessibility and sustained community use, with more than 60 hours of court utilization dedicated to community and Sun Life activities annually.
The 2026 program cycle is supported by a CAD $1.5 million regional investment from Sun Life for 2025–2026 and aims to impact 45,000 lives across six Asian markets. In Vietnam particularly, the initiative is expected to directly engage over 3,000 children through school programs and more than 400 children and parents through community tournaments.
Ms. Tan Lay Hoon, CEO of Sun Life Vietnam said:
“Through Hoops + Health, Sun Life Vietnam is proud to stand alongside schools, families and community partners to inspire the next generation to live healthier, more active lives. Basketball is more than a sport - it is a powerful platform to build confidence, resilience and teamwork. As we kick off 2026, we reaffirm our long-term commitment to supporting youth physical and mental wellbeing in Vietnam.”
By combining infrastructure support, educational training and community celebration events, Hoops + Health aims not only to increase physical activity levels but also to foster stronger social connections and healthier communities.
By Vietnam Business Forum
Vietnamese
