SEA Games 33: Viet Nam rises to second place on the medal table

By the end of the second competition day, the delegation had won a total of 40 medals, including 14 gold, 7 silver, and 19 bronze medals, maintaining second place overall behind host nation Thailand.

The day’s highlights came from Viet Nam’s key sports. In Karate, the women’s team kata quartet of Nguyen Thi Phuong, Nguyen Ngoc Tram, Bui Ngoc Nhi, and Hoang Thi Thu Uyen claimed the opening gold medal of the day after defeating Thailand in the final. This was followed by another gold from Nguyen Hong Trong, who convincingly overcame his Indonesian opponent in the men’s under-54kg Taekwondo category.

On the Jujitsu mat, Dang Dinh Tung delivered an emphatic performance, defeating his Philippine rival 5–0 in the men’s 69kg Ne-waza final, avenging his defeat at the previous SEA Games. A gold medal in Judo was also added thanks to an impressive display by Tran Quoc Cuong and Phan Minh Hanh in the nage-no-kata event.

Artistic gymnastics continued to be a strong pillar for Viet Nam, with Dang Ngoc Xuan Thien taking gold on the pommel horse and Nguyen Van Khanh Phong claiming gold on the rings. The team narrowly missed a third gold medal after an unexpected appeal in the women’s vault, which saw Nguyen Thi Quynh Nhu drop from first place to silver.

Athletics provided a strong finish to the day. Ho Trong Manh Hung secured the gold medal in the men’s triple jump, marking Viet Nam’s first athletics gold at this year’s Games.

Shortly afterwards, the women’s 1,500m showcased Viet Nam’s dominance, with Bui Thi Ngan winning gold and Nguyen Khanh Linh taking silver. In the men’s 1,500m, Luong Duc Phuoc finished among the leading group to earn a bronze medal.

In the pool, Pham Thanh Bao reaffirmed his regional supremacy by successfully defending his title in the men’s 100m breaststroke. The day concluded with a dramatic comeback victory in the men’s 4x200m freestyle relay, as Nguyen Viet Tuong, Nguyen Huy Hoang, Tran Van Nguyen Quoc, and Tran Hung Nguyen overtook Singapore and Malaysia to finish first.

At Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok, both the men’s and women’s football teams met their objectives. Viet Nam’s U22 men’s team defeated U22 Malaysia 2–0 to top Group B and advance to the semi-finals.

In the women’s competition, head coach Mai Duc Chung’s side also secured a 2–0 victory over Myanmar.

A series of victories across multiple sports, particularly Olympic disciplines, further consolidated Viet Nam’s second-place standing on the overall medal table. With many strong events still ahead, including athletics, swimming, shooting, and martial arts, the Viet Nam Sports Delegation has strong grounds to expect further progress in the coming competition days.