Athletics and swimming aren't as fun as football.

Vietnam continues to assert its leading position in regional football, through winning the men's football championship and the women's silver medal, which is practically gold. But at the SEA Games, football is just one sport.

The gold medal won by the women's 4x400m relay team sends a positive signal as they aim for the continental arena - Photo: NAM TRAN

At the 33rd SEA Games, the Vietnamese delegation carried high hopes in athletics, swimming, volleyball, table tennis, as well as many other Olympic sports .

Athletics is only on par with Thailand in terms of the number of medals.

At major sporting events, athletics is often referred to as the "queen" of sports. And indeed, it's not football, but athletics that reigns supreme in the Olympic Games. Throughout recent SEA Games, athletics has also been a fiercely competitive sport between Vietnam and Thailand.

And when the tournament took place in Thailand, the Vietnamese athletics team was predicted to face many difficulties in competing against the excellent athletes of the host country. As expected, runner Puripol Boonson proved his international class in every sprint he participated in, with a "golden hat-trick" in the 100m, 200m, and 4x100m relay events.

As a result, Thai athletics reclaimed the top spot with 13 gold medals at the SEA Games. But Vietnam was close behind with 12 gold medals. In fact, if you consider the total number of medals, Vietnam even surpassed Thailand.

Still a long way from reaching "top level".

Does that mean Vietnamese and Thai athletics are now on equal footing? Not at all. For Southeast Asian countries today, the SEA Games are only the lowest-ranked in the Olympic system, specifically after the Olympics and the Asian Games. In many events, besides medals, athletes must also demonstrate their performance through statistics to compare with continental and world- class standards.

From that perspective, Vietnamese athletics, despite possessing many medals, is still very far from the concept of "world-class." A prime example is Nguyen Thi Oanh, who still carries the team's target of 3 gold medals, but has entered the twilight of her career and no longer has any hope of reaching continental-level status.

The remaining athletes who won gold medals in athletics at these SEA Games – such as Trung Cuong, Manh Hung, Kim Anh… – only offer hope for the future. Meanwhile, Thailand already has at least two continental-level athletics athletes: Boonson and Tuntivate (who won 3 gold medals at the 33rd SEA Games).

Graphics: M. TÁNH

Swimming at an "inspiring" level.

In swimming, inspiring stories constantly emerge, from swimmer Nguyen Quang Thuan following in the footsteps of his sister Anh Vien to winning a SEA Games gold medal, to My Tien and Thanh Bao creating a beautiful story in Thailand, and young swimmers like Thuy Hien and Nguyen Quoc making continuous progress...

However, similar to athletics, the Vietnamese swimming team's performance at the 33rd SEA Games has only been "inspiring." The star trio of Huy Hoang, Hung Nguyen, and Thanh Bao have shown signs of decline, while the group of Quang Thuan, My Tien, and Thuy Hien are still far behind in terms of skill level. In terms of overall achievements, the Vietnamese swimming team has also declined, winning only 6 gold medals at this year's SEA Games, one less than the previous SEA Games.

What a shame for women's volleyball.

Volleyball – a sport that Vietnamese fans are interested in second only to football – left a great sense of disappointment in the women's event. Thanh Thúy and her teammates had a successful and emotional SEA Games, but the men's volleyball team suffered a setback, failing to win any medals at this year's SEA Games.

And in table tennis, although Vietnam performed reasonably well, winning a silver medal in the men's team event, the streak of winning gold medals in each SEA Games was broken (Vietnamese table tennis always won one gold medal in each SEA Games from 2017 to 2023).

The SEA Games were full of stories, emotions, and inspiration, but they still lacked a high level of excellence.

Heading towards the Asian Games and the Olympics.

At the 33rd SEA Games, with 12 gold medals, 12 silver medals, and 11 bronze medals, Vietnamese athletics achieved its target of 12 to 14 gold medals.

Entering the decisive day of competition, the Vietnamese athletics team only had 8 gold medals. However, two unexpected victories by Bui Thi Kim Anh (women's high jump) and Tran Thi Loan (women's long jump), along with Nguyen Thi Oanh finishing first in her specialty event, the 3,000m steeplechase, helped athletics win 11 gold medals. Finally, the women's 4x400m relay team, consisting of Hoang Thi Minh Hanh, Nguyen Thi Ngoc, Nguyen Thi Hang, and Le Thi Tuyet Mai, sealed the gold medal, helping Vietnamese athletics achieve its set goal.

In his overall assessment of the 33rd SEA Games, Mr. Nguyen Trung Hinh, Vice President of the Vietnam Athletics Federation, stated: "Most of the strong events this time saw gold medals won, and some athletes surprised in high jump and long jump... This is the result of a long-term strategy. Since 2020, the Department of Sports and Physical Education, the sport's disciplines, and the Vietnam Athletics Federation have developed detailed plans with a vision extending to 2030, and even 2045. Thanks to this, we now have a promising generation of young athletes for the future. After the SEA Games, we will strive to aim for the Asian Games and the Olympics."

Despite positive results at the SEA Games, Vietnamese athletics has yet to catch up with the rest of the continent. However, there are some notable achievements, such as Ta Ngoc Tuong's 400m time of 45.53 seconds at the 33rd SEA Games – enough to win a bronze medal at the 2025 Asian Championships (45.55 seconds). Or the women's 4x400m relay team, capable of competing for the Asian gold medal with a time of 3 minutes 25.59 seconds, more than 8 seconds faster than the Asian gold medalist. There's also the mixed 4x400m relay team with a time of 3 minutes 15.07 seconds.

However, these figures are for reference only, as the peak performance and tactical calculations of each country at major tournaments vary depending on the time. Additionally, some countries often prioritize the Asian Games and Olympics over the Asian Championships.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/dien-kinh-boi-loi-chua-vui-nhu-bong-da-20251220093719443.htm