Hanoi (VNA) – December 17 marked one of Vietnam’s most successful days at the 33rd Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, with the country's athletes claiming gold medals in several of their traditional strengths, including rowing, shooting, and pencak silat, boosting Vietnam's position in the overall medal standings.
A standout moment came with Vietnam's 54th gold medal, earned in shooting. In a thrilling women’s 25m pistol event, Trinh Thu Vinh and Nguyen Thuy Trang delivered an intense duel. Thu Vinh claimed gold, while Thuy Trang took silver, with both setting a new SEA Games record by scoring 34 points. This victory brought Thu Vinh’s total gold medal count at the 33rd SEA Games to four, spread across both individual and team events, marking a significant improvement from the previous seasons.
Vietnam's 55th gold came soon after, in pencak silat, where Nguyen Duy Tuyen dominated his Singaporean opponent in the men’s 90kg final, winning 26-5 to successfully defend his title. In the same sport, Vu Duc Hung earned a silver medal after a strong performance in the men’s 70–75kg final.
The day also saw strong results in other disciplines. Duc Tuan and Tuan Anh secured bronze in the men's team table tennis event, while Nguyen Thu Trang earned silver in the women’s individual 25m pistol event. Athletes in weightlifting and archery contributed additional silver and bronze medals, further enhancing Vietnam's medal tally.
In rowing, the Vietnamese team showcased its dominance by topping the medal table with four golds, one silver, and one bronze, exceeding expectations. The gold medals were claimed by several seasoned and well-coordinated crews, including the women’s quadruple sculls (Bui Thi Thu Hien, Nguyen Giang, Dinh Thi Hao, and Pham Thi Hue), the men’s lightweight double sculls (Hoang Van Dat and Nguyen Phu), the women’s lightweight single sculls (Ho Thi Duy), and both the women’s and men’s lightweight fours. These results solidified rowing as one of Vietnam's most reliable sources of gold at the SEA Games.
Vietnam’s swimming team also had a successful outing, finishing second overall with six golds, nine silvers, and 10 bronzes, meeting their targets. Pham Thanh Bao stood out by winning double golds in the 100m and 200m breaststroke, while Nguyen Huy Hoang triumphed in the men’s 1,500m freestyle. Other gold medals came from Nguyen Quang Thuan in the men’s 400m individual medley, Tran Hung Nguyen in the 200m individual medley, and the men’s 4x200m freestyle relay./.
