Vietnamese martial artists won 15 gold medals in combat events at the Southeast Asian Judo Championships that opened on October 19 in the southern province of Bac Lieu .

Members of the national team defeated athletes from other countries such as Thailand , Singapore and Cambodia to rise to the top spot on the medal rankings.

Laos pocketed two gold medals in the performance competition.

Martial artists from the Republic of Korea and Hong Kong as well as athletes from across Southeast Asia are participating in combat competition in eight weight categories.

The same day, an international open judo tournament also kicked off in Bac Lieu province, with the participation of 134 athletes.-VNA