The Vietnamese sports delegation has moved up to second place in the overall standings.

The second official day of competition (December 11th) at the 33rd SEA Games marked a significant turning point for the Vietnamese sports delegation. Athletes continuously brought home valuable medals in many Olympic-level sports.

Nguyen Thi Phuong, Nguyen Ngoc Tram, Bui Ngoc Nhi, and Hoang Thi Thu Uyen won the Gold Medal in the women's team kata karate event.

At the end of the second day of competition, the delegation had amassed 40 medals, including 14 gold, 7 silver, and 19 bronze, maintaining its second-place position overall, behind host nation Thailand.

The highlights of the day came from key sports . In Karate, the women's kata team, consisting of Nguyen Thi Phuong, Nguyen Ngoc Tram, Bui Ngoc Nhi, and Hoang Thi Thu Uyen, opened the day with a "Gold" medal by defeating Thailand in the final. Following that, martial artist Nguyen Hong Trong brought home another Gold medal, overwhelmingly defeating his Indonesian opponent in the men's 54kg Taekwondo category.

On the Jujitsu mat, Dang Dinh Tung made a strong impression with a 5-0 victory over his Philippine opponent in the 69kg ne-waza final, avenging his defeat at the previous SEA Games. Judo also added to the gold medal tally with a convincing performance by the pair Tran Quoc Cuong-Phan Minh Hanh in the Nage-no-kata event.

Gymnastics continued to be a strong point as Dang Ngoc Xuan Thien (pommel horse) and Nguyen Van Khanh Phong (rings) both won gold medals. The team nearly won three gold medals if not for an unexpected complaint in the women's vault event, which resulted in athlete Nguyen Thi Quynh Nhu, who was in first place, receiving a silver medal.

At the end of the day, athletics lit up the Vietnamese team's medal table. Ho Trong Manh Hung brought home the gold medal in the triple jump – the first gold medal for Vietnamese athletics at this year's Games.

Shortly afterwards, the women's 1,500m race saw Vietnam's overwhelming dominance as Bui Thi Ngan finished first and Nguyen Khanh Linh won the Silver Medal. In the men's 1,500m, athlete Luong Duc Phuoc finished in the leading group, adding another Bronze Medal to the tally.

In the swimming lanes, Pham Thanh Bao continued to demonstrate his number one position in the region in the men's 100m breaststroke, successfully defending his championship title. At the end of the day's competition, the men's 4x200m freestyle relay team staged an impressive comeback, with the quartet of Nguyen Viet Tuong, Nguyen Huy Hoang, Tran Van Nguyen Quoc, and Tran Hung Nguyen overtaking Singapore and Malaysia to finish first.

The athletes won the Gold Medal in the men's 4x200m freestyle relay.

On the Rajamangala Stadium pitch (Bangkok), both the men's and women's football teams achieved their goals. Vietnam U22 defeated Malaysia U22 2-0 to secure first place in Group B and advance to the semi-finals.

In the women's group, coach Mai Duc Chung's team defeated Myanmar 2-0 to follow their male counterparts into the semi-finals.

Consecutive victories in many disciplines, especially Olympic sports, have helped solidify Vietnam's second-place position in the overall medal standings. With many strong events still to come, such as athletics, swimming, shooting, and martial arts, the Vietnamese delegation has reason to expect further progress in the coming days of competition.

Achievements of the Vietnamese sports delegation on December 11th.

10 Gold Medals: Nguyen Thi Phuong, Nguyen Ngoc Tram and Hoang Thi Thu Uyen (women's team kata); Nguyen Hong Trong (taekwondo, men's under 54kg); Dang Ngoc Xuan Thien (gymnastics); Dang Dinh Tung (jujitsu, men's 69kg); Nguyen Van Khanh Phong (gymnastics); Ho Trong Manh Hung (athletics), Bui Thi Ngan (athletics); Tran Quoc Cuong - Phan Minh Hanh (judo), Pham Thanh Bao (swimming); Tran Hung Nguyen, Nguyen Huy Hoang, Nguyen Viet Tuong, Tran Van Nguyen Quoc (swimming).

4 Silver Medals: Vu Duy Thanh - Do Thi Thanh Thao (mixed doubles 200m kayak); Mai Thi Bich Tram and Vu Hoang Khanh Ngoc (juno kata), Nguyen Thi Quynh Nhu (gymnastics); Nguyen Khanh Linh (athletics, women's 1,500m)

7 Bronze Medals: Nguyen Thi Mai (taekwondo, 48kg weight class); Huynh Cao Minh - Nguyen Minh Tuan (men's 200m double kayak); Sai Cong Nguyen/Nguyen Anh Tung (ju-jitsu); Luong Duc Phuoc (athletics), Le Thi Cam Dung (athletics), Vo Thi My Tien (swimming).

Gold medals not counted: Quang Van Minh (traditional MMA, men's 65kg); Tran Ngoc Luong (MMA, men's 60kg).

Silver medals not included: Duong Thi Thanh Binh (Traditional MMA, 54kg weight class)

QUANG MINH

Source: https://nhandan.vn/doan-the-thao-viet-nam-vuon-len-vi-tri-nhi-bang-tong-sap-post929662.html