The Chinese consortium, HISG, is expected to begin work on the stadium outside Hanoi within a month. It is to be completed by September 30, 2003, in time for the SEA Games in mid-November, the National Sports Center Management Board official said.
The awarding of the hotly contested contract had been delayed for months as Vietnam's Communist government sought to make a final decision.
There have been widespread reports of corruption in the bidding process for the stadium, part of a $300m (?334.6m) national sports complex to be built for the games.
Vietnam has signed a contract with a Chinese consortium to build a $52.9 million (?59m) main stadium for the 2003 Southeast Asian Games, an official said.
