Hanoi (VNA) – The Vietnamese delegation closed the penultimate day of competition at the 33rd Southeast Asian (SEA) Games with a flurry of gold medals across multiple sports, raising its gold total to 86 and officially securing third place overall.
As of 21:00 on December 19, Vietnam had won 86 gold, 79 silver and 110 bronze medals, with athletes remaining in only sepak takraw and open-water swimming events. Thailand led with 232 golds, 153 silvers and 106 bronzes, while Indonesia came second with 91golds, 111 silvers, and 128 bronzes. The gap in gold medals with Indonesia means the overall standings are almost settled. Nevertheless, SEA Games 33 has been a tournament in which Vietnamese sports demonstrated remarkable consistency, particularly in Olympic disciplines and traditional strong events.
December 19 saw a true “golden rain” across various arenas. Shooting emerged as a major highlight with three gold medals, led by the outstanding performance of shooter Ha Minh Thanh in the men’s 25m rapid fire pistol event. In addition to winning individual gold and breaking the SEA Games record, he joined his teammates to secure the men’s team gold. The third shooting gold came from the men’s 50m rifle three positions team event, where Vietnamese shooters edged past hosts Thailand on countback.
Wrestling continued to showcase its dominance, contributing three more golds thanks to Pham Nhu Duy, Nguyen Huu Dinh and Can Tat Du.
Chess added two gold medals in the men’s and women’s rapid chess doubles events, while fencing left a strong impression with gold in the men’s sabre team event, concluding the sport’s campaign with a total of three golds, two silvers and five bronzes.
In other sports, rowing, aerobic gymnastics, e-sports, boxing and more each added valuable medals, creating a diverse and well-rounded achievement picture. Notably, e-sports delivered a gold medal in the men’s Arena of Valor team event after a victory over host Thailand./.
