33rd SEA Games officially open in Bangkok after delayed ceremony

The Games, held amid tightened security due to recent border clashes between Thailand and Cambodia, will run from Dec. 10 to 20.

The SEA Games flame is lit up at Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, Dec, 9, 2025. Photo by Duc Dong

The ceremony began at 7 p.m. with two emcees welcoming the audience, followed by a light show tracing the 66-year history of the SEA Games. Organizers used illuminated displays to present key milestones of the region’s largest sporting event, now in its 33rd edition.

However, the history segment also saw a notable error, when a photo showing a large Singapore flag was used to depict the 1997 SEA Games in Jakarta, Indonesia. Another inconsistency came when the MC announced that 574 medal sets would be contested at this year’s Games, while the number displayed in the sky behind the stage read 547.

The ceremony was interrupted for around 30 minutes when scheduled VIPs, including the King and Queen of Thailand, did not appear on time. Performances paused as the hosts attempted to maintain the atmosphere, and cameras avoided showing the empty VIP section. The royal couple later entered the stadium to applause, allowing the program to continue.

Thai-Belgian singer Violette Wautier opened the main stage performances with "1%," the official song of the Games, joined by rappers Tong Twopee and F.Hero.

Eleven large cubes were placed on stage for the "One Spirit" segment, featuring performers in martial arts-inspired costumes representing Muay Thai, pencak silat, wushu and more. Muay Thai veteran Buakaw Banchamek also performed a solo demonstration.The show continued with "We Are One — Connect By The Sea," highlighting Southeast Asia’s maritime diversity with dancers, water effects, and a flyboard performance soaring above the stage.

K-pop boy band Got7, including Thai member BamBam, delivered one of the most anticipated performances of the evening. BamBam also performed solo pieces, the only artist granted multiple songs, to loud cheers from the crowd.

Delegations later marched into the stadium, beginning with Brunei and ending with host nation Thailand. Cambodia brought the smallest contingent, while Thailand fielded the largest.

Vietnam’s group, led by flag bearers Le Minh Thuan (taekwondo) and Le Thanh Thuy (volleyball), included several dozen members in the parade. Vietnam has sent 1,165 representatives to the Games, including 842 athletes, many of whom had already begun competition in football, badminton and baseball.

The SEA Games torch traveled through Bangkok, Chonburi, Songkhla and Nakhon Ratchasima before returning to the capital for the ceremony. Two-time Olympic taekwondo champion Panipak Wongpattanakit carried the torch to the podium. After she lit a small flame, a larger symbolic flame illuminated the cauldron — the first time the SEA Games used a non-real flame as part of efforts to promote an environmentally friendly "Green Games."