SEA Games 33 has just concluded with the Vietnam Sports Delegation ranking 3rd overall, winning 87 gold, 81 silver, and 110 bronze medals, behind host countries Thailand and Indonesia. Beyond the medal count, these results also reflect positive and sustainable signals for the long-term development of high-performance sports in Vietnam.
Maintaining a Top-3 Regional Position
The Vietnam Sports Delegation entered SEA Games 33 with the goal of winning 90-100 gold medals to secure a top-3 overall position. Despite a relatively small contingent, ranking only 6th in terms of number of athletes and lacking several key sports and events in the competition program, the Vietnam Sports Delegation still maintained its position among the regional leaders. Specifically, after days of competition in Thailand, Vietnamese athletes won a total of 87 gold medals in official events (excluding 5 gold medals in exhibition sports), securing 3rd place overall, after host Thailand and Indonesia. Although the gold medal target was not fully reached, the Vietnam Sports Delegation successfully achieved one of the two key objectives: maintaining a position among the top three sports delegations in the region. Notably, Vietnamese athletes continued to make a strong impression in Olympic sports as well as events within the Asiad competition system.
Looking back at SEA Games 33 with a total of 278 medals, the Vietnam Sports Delegation not only achieved its goals in the regional arena but also created important, positive markers for its long-term development strategy. Olympic sports contributed 59 out of 87 gold medals, accounting for nearly 70%. Including other key Asiad sports such as karate and sepak takraw, the contribution of Olympic and Asiad sports exceeded 76% of the total gold medals. Overall, the results at SEA Games 33 carry significant meaning, as Vietnam’s high-performance sports development strategy focuses on investing in universal sports included in the Olympic and Asiad programs, rather than chasing short-term achievements in SEA Games-specific events.
The Vietnam U22 team won the gold medal in men’s football at SEA Games 33. Photo by: Ngoc Tu
Athletics continued to be a solid pillar, meeting its target with 12 gold medals, just one less than the host country. In terms of total medals, Vietnamese athletics outperformed Thailand by 5 medals. Furthermore, the strategy of rejuvenating the team under the motto “investing in depth, developing sustainably” provided opportunities for young athletes to shine, producing surprises such as Bui Thi Kim Anh, who cleared 1.86m in the high jump for a gold medal, and Tran Thi Loan, who won gold in the long jump with a distance of 6.53m. In the women’s 1,500m, athlete Bui Thi Ngan, born in 2001, secured a convincing gold medal.
Apart from athletics, swimming won 6 gold medals in Olympic events, maintaining the second position in the region, only behind Singapore. A highlight was the emergence of promising new swimmers such as Duong Van Hoang Quy, Mai Tran Tuan Anh, and Tran Van Nguyen Quoc. Shooting contributed 8 gold medals and set 4 SEA Games records, with breakthroughs by Trinh Thu Vinh, confirming the stability and high standard of this Olympic priority sport. These are positive signals showing that athletics and swimming have enough depth to maintain success in SEA Games and gradually progress toward the Asiad, and even the Olympics. Meanwhile, gymnastics, with 3 gold medals, demonstrated the technical depth and solid foundation of the team.
In addition, rowing left a strong impression with 4 gold medals, leading the overall medal tally, while canoeing won both available gold medals, topping the standings. Wrestling also stood out by winning 10 gold medals out of 12 events. Key Asiad sports such as karate (6 gold medals) and taekwondo (4 gold medals) demonstrated the effectiveness of a focused, priority-driven investment strategy. Another highlight was the impressive emergence of young athletes in Olympic sports.
“Although the absolute numbers fell slightly short of the targets, this is a proud result in the context of the host country cutting many of Vietnam’s strong events. Many new faces, only 16-17 years old, won medals in swimming, athletics, and bowling, showing that the athlete succession plan is being implemented systematically and with depth. This is particularly important as the Asiad does not require short-term achievements but rather accumulation, stability, and continuous development over long cycles,” emphasized Nguyen Hong Minh, Deputy Director of the Vietnam Department of Sports (Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism).
Alongside victories and impressive numbers, it is necessary to candidly acknowledge the “quiet spots” of the Vietnam Sports Delegation at SEA Games 33. Some sports, such as archery, cycling, weightlifting, and martial arts including judo and jujitsu, did not meet expectations. According to Nguyen Hong Minh, the reasons are not only due to temporary fluctuations in athletes’ performance but, more importantly, due to increasingly fierce competition at the regional level.
From SEA Games 33 to Asiad 2026
SEA Games 33 concluded not only with medal numbers but, more importantly, with long-term values for Vietnamese sports. This includes reinforcing confidence in the right development orientation, where Olympic and Asiad sports are identified as key foundations. However, that confidence is only fully meaningful when realized through concrete, decisive, and sustained steps in the next phase.
The Vietnam Sports Delegation finishing 3rd overall is highly commendable, considering it ranked only 6th in number of athletes. Specifically, the contingent of 841 athletes was smaller than Singapore’s 976 athletes, or the 1,000-1,500 athletes from Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, and host Thailand. A thinner team had to overcome adversity, with many sports and strong events removed from the competition program.
If SEA Games measure regional status, the Asiad is the arena that most clearly reflects the real strength of a nation’s sports at the continental level. This is the stage Vietnamese sports must aim for to move beyond being labeled a “village pond” in the region. According to the plan, Asiad 2026 will be held in Japan from September 19 to October 4, 2026, with 41 sports and over 460 medal events. This represents a completely different level from SEA Games, and the results at Asiad 18 in Hangzhou, China, provide the clearest evidence.
The experience at SEA Games 33 has shown that the Olympic sports, which form the backbone of Vietnamese sports – from athletics, swimming, gymnastics, shooting, weightlifting, archery to martial arts such as judo, taekwondo, karate, wrestling, boxing, as well as rowing – are the main force contributing to the overall achievements of the national delegation. Athletics and swimming, in particular, demonstrate that Vietnam continues to maintain its position among the leading countries in Southeast Asia.
However, when stepping onto the Asian Games stage, the challenge from the Asian powerhouses is immense, as the gap in performance, physique, and sports science foundations still exists. This requires a long-term, methodical investment strategy, particularly focusing on events with the potential for breakthroughs, such as middle-distance races and relay events. To be competitive at the Asian Games, it is not enough to have outstanding athletes; it is also necessary to have a coaching system and scientific support at a higher level. This reality demands that Vietnam make clear strategic choices, concentrating on specific objectives and events with medal prospects, rather than investing broadly and without focus.
Success at the SEA Games but failure at the Asian Games is not just the story of individual sports or teams; it is a comprehensive issue of strategy, resource allocation, and approach. The success at SEA Games 33 brings confidence and motivation, but the Asian Games require a higher-level preparation mindset, with long-term vision and a more scientific, systematic foundation. While it remains necessary to adhere to a focused investment approach, it is imperative to improve the quality of coaching, enhance international exposure, and pay even greater attention to foundational factors such as sports science, medicine, nutrition, and competitive psychology.
At the same time, the development roadmap for the next generation of athletes must be placed at a key position, so that each major competition is not merely a “sprint” for immediate results, but a link in a long-term development strategy that combines willpower, the fire in the heart, and internal strength to surpass one’s own limits. If maintained and elevated through a scientific and methodical development strategy, this will become an important asset to help Vietnamese sports enter the Asian Games, and further, the Olympic Games with greater confidence, substance, and a clearer aspiration to reach the continental level than ever before.
SEA Games 33 has provided many valuable lessons, especially in tense finals, where a single moment of lost concentration can result in losing a medal. Therefore, in the time ahead, the sports sector will place even greater emphasis on psychological training, considering it an indispensable part of the elite athlete training program.
Deputy Director of the Vietnam Department of Sports Nguyen Hong Minh
Ngoc Tu
Investing in depth, developing sustainably