Vietnamese sports stars promise to shine at SEA Games 33

Sending a large force to participate in the 33rd SEA Games taking place from December 9 to 20 in Thailand, the Vietnamese sports delegation is expecting its key players to shine in order to affirm its position as the leading sports force in the region.

THE GOLDEN GIRLS…

Athletics is the spearhead of Vietnamese sports in the SEA Games. At the most recent SEA Games in 2023 in Cambodia, the Vietnamese athletics team won 12 gold medals. In particular, the female athletes contributed to bringing home 11 out of the total 12 gold medals. At the 33rd SEA Games, the "golden girls" once again shouldered the responsibility of hunting for gold for Vietnamese athletics.

"Pepper girl" Nguyen Thi Oanh, the current owner of 4 SEA Games gold medals in the distances of 1,500 m, 5,000 m, 10,000 m and 3,000 m over obstacles, continues to be the number 1 hope of Vietnamese athletics. In the past few months, the runner from Bac Ninh (formerly Bac Giang ) has "closed the door to practice" with the guidance of coach Tran Van Sy with the goal of protecting the achievements of 2 years ago. Turning 30, Nguyen Thi Oanh has had to adjust the intensity of training and competition to avoid overload and the risk of injury. Because of that, recently this athlete has limited her participation in grassroots tournaments and marathon events to focus all her energy on the 33rd SEA Games. Coach Tran Van Sy said that the professional preparation for Nguyen Thi Oanh up to this point is still favorable, according to the coaching board's plan. "According to the preliminary competition schedule, Nguyen Thi Oanh's 4 events will take place in 4 days. However, how many events Nguyen Thi Oanh will compete in will be decided at the technical meeting 2 days before the tournament, depending on the official competition schedule of the organizers and the athlete's physical condition," said coach Tran Van Sy.

Vietnam's golden girl in athletics Nguyen Thi Oanh promises to shine at SEA Games 33

PHOTO: NGOC DUONG

Vietnamese athletics also has the important return of Asian champion Quach Thi Lan. At the 31st SEA Games in 2022, Quach Thi Lan won a double gold medal in the 400m and 4x400m relay for women. The 18-month suspension for testing positive for banned substances later made Quach Thi Lan depressed. However, with encouragement from the coaching staff and family, the 30-year-old athlete quietly trained and came back strongly. The silver medal in the 4x400m relay for women at the 2025 Asian Championship and the gold medal in the 400m hurdles at the 2025 National Championship show that Quach Thi Lan is still very "sharp". She cherishes the dream of repeating the double gold medal in the 400m hurdles and 4x400m relay for women at the 33rd SEA Games. In athletics, Vietnam also has high hopes for queens like Huynh Thi My Tien (100m hurdles), Nguyen Thi Thanh Phuc (walking), and Nguyen Thi Thu Ha (800m).

Besides athletics, Vietnamese sports also have high expectations from other female stars such as Trinh Thu Vinh (shooting), Do Thi Anh Nguyet (archery) and the women's volleyball and sepak takraw teams...

AND THE TALENTED BOYS

The "Gianh River otter", swimmer Nguyen Huy Hoang continues to be the hope of the Vietnamese swimming team at the 33rd SEA Games. Two years ago in Cambodia, Huy Hoang brought home 3 gold medals in the 400m freestyle, 1,500m freestyle and 4x200m freestyle relay. This time in Thailand, Vietnam's number 1 male swimmer promises to successfully defend his titles and aim for a new milestone. In particular, Huy Hoang aims for a gold medal in the long-distance swimming event, the event he won at the 2025 Southeast Asian Games. The 25-year-old swimmer is training with the Vietnamese swimming team in China to have the best form in December. Besides Huy Hoang, the Vietnamese swimming team also expects Pham Thanh Bao and Tran Hung Nguyen to shine. These are the two swimmers who won double individual gold medals at the 32nd SEA Games, in which Pham Thanh Bao dominated the breaststroke event, while Tran Hung Nguyen affirmed his strength in the medley swimming.

At the 33rd SEA Games, Vietnamese sports also have many excellent male athletes, ready to hunt for gold such as ASIAD champion Pham Quang Huy (shooting), Nguyen Van Khanh Phong (gymnastics), Le Tuan Minh (chess), Nguyen Trung Cuong (athletics)...

Departure to participate in SEA Games 33

Today (November 21), in Ho Chi Minh City, the ceremony to send off the Vietnamese sports delegation from the southern region to participate in the 33rd SEA Games took place. The Vietnamese sports delegation from the southern region gathered mainly at the National Sports Training Center in Ho Chi Minh City with athletes from athletics, swimming, weightlifting, judo, boxing, cycling, handball, tennis...

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/dan-sao-the-thao-viet-nam-hua-hen-toa-sang-o-sea-games-33-185251120222612726.htm