Vietnam wrestling team overcomes difficulties at SEA Games 33

The regulations at the 33rd SEA Games from the host country Thailand limit the ability of the Vietnamese wrestling team to compete for the Gold Medal. However, the wrestlers still encourage each other to make efforts, trying to seize every opportunity at the tournament taking place 1 month later.

Thailand makes things difficult

Two years ago at the 33rd SEA Games, Vietnamese wrestling ranked first in Southeast Asia with 13 Gold Medals (HCV). At that time, the host country, Cambodia, included 30 events in the sport. That was the basis for Vietnamese wrestlers to be more confident in competing for the top spot. However, after two years, realizing that we had a great chance of competing for the Gold Medal, the host country, Thailand, decided to limit the number of wrestling events. Not to mention, the representative of the land of golden pagodas was willing to give opportunities to some wrestlers to become naturalized, creating more obstacles for the Vietnamese team.

This was actually anticipated and understood by the wrestling department of the Department of Sports and Physical Training since the beginning of this year. Accordingly, the 33rd SEA Games wrestling competition has been reduced to only 12 events, including 4 men's freestyle, 4 women's freestyle and 4 men's classical. Accordingly, the men's freestyle weight group includes 57kg, 65kg, 74kg, 86kg; women's freestyle includes 50kg, 53kg, 57kg, 62kg; men's classical includes 67kg, 77kg, 87kg and 97kg. The regulations of the 33rd SEA Games wrestling also only allow each country to register 1 athlete in 1 event.

Mr. Ta Dinh Duc, in charge of the wrestling department, Vietnam Sports Department, General Secretary of the Vietnam Wrestling Federation, said that in addition to reducing the scale, the fact that host Thailand removed two traditional strong weight classes of Vietnamese women's wrestling, 50kg and 53kg, also seriously affected the team's ability to win medals. Not to mention, the rise of Cambodia in the classical wrestling category has made the stage of Vietnamese wrestlers no longer in a monopoly position like many years ago.

Also because of that, instead of being able to compete for more than 10 gold medals like the last 2 congresses, the target that Vietnam wrestling set for this congress is only 5-6 gold medals. After determining the target suitable for the reality of SEA Games 33, the Vietnam wrestling team encouraged each other to make efforts, actively prepare the force as well as the training plan to ensure the achievement.

It is known that in the first 6 months of the year, the key players of the Vietnamese wrestling team participated in international competitions including the 2025 Asian Championship, the 2025 Southeast Asian Championship, the 2025 Asian U17 and U23 Youth Championships and achieved very encouraging results. Through each tournament, the coaching board also calculated the appropriate force, built a plan to prepare for 2 important arenas including the 33rd SEA Games in 2025 and the 20th Asian Games (ASIAD 20) in 2026.

Vietnam wrestling team reduces gold medal target at SEA Games.

Choose the right person to trust

“After the first half of 2025, the Vietnamese wrestling team will continue to train from July 15 in Hanoi . The team's coaching staff immediately reviewed the force for each event to select the best players for the next international competition,” said Mr. Ta Dinh Duc. In addition, the Vietnam Sports Administration and the Vietnam wrestling team's coaching staff also invited American experts to train the women's freestyle wrestling team; as well as funding for foreign training, etc., aiming to win the gold medal at the 33rd SEA Games, the 20th Asian Games (Asiad 20) in 2026, and win a ticket to the 2028 Olympics.

Up to now, with only 1 month left until the 33rd SEA Games, the Vietnamese wrestling team has also completed its personnel plan towards the target of winning 5-6 SEA Games gold medals. The recent 2025 National Championship can be considered an important rehearsal for the force. In addition, according to Mr. Ta Dinh Duc, in addition to technical factors, the above tournament is also the basis for experts and the coaching board to evaluate psychological factors, competitive spirit and tactical coordination ability.

According to experts, on the stage of the 2025 National Wrestling Championship, key faces continue to win gold medals such as Pham Nhu Duy, Dang Trong Hai, Phi Huu Loc, Nguyen Huu Hao, Can Tat Du, Tran Van Truong Vu, Nguyen Cong Thanh, Nguyen Cong Manh, Nguyen Ba Son, Nghiem Dinh Hieu... For women, familiar athletes ensure professional results such as Le Thi My Dung, Nguyen Thi My Linh, Dang Thi Hien, Nguyen Thi My Trang, Tran Thi Anh, Nguyen Thi My Hanh, Tran Anh Tuyet, Lai Dieu Thuong...

“The key players have maintained their form at the national tournament,” said Mr. Ta Dinh Duc. He was also excited that at the previous Southeast Asian Games 2025 held in Singapore in May, Vietnamese wrestlers won 24 gold medals across the competitions: “That shows that countries are preparing important forces for the 33rd SEA Games. For Vietnam, each player will prepare their best to be ready to compete in December this year.”

Long-term plan

Currently, the wrestling department is also completing the training and competition plan for prospective athletes in the period 2026 - 2030, aiming for further goals at ASIAD and Olympics. In the immediate future, the coaching staff will have an investment plan suitable for each group of athletes according to specific criteria.

Some potential wrestlers have been identified such as Hong Hanh, Hoai Thu, Thao Thom, Kieu Trang, Manh Dat, Chi Hao, Gia Huy, Dinh Hieu, Bao Nam or Hai Anh. These athletes have shown good skills in each competition in the past time. This will be the seed for Vietnamese wrestling to hope to maintain its position in the regional arena as well as confidently reach out to the continent.

Source: https://cand.com.vn/the-thao/doi-tuyen-vat-viet-nam-vuot-kho-o-sea-games-33-i787560/