Motivation for Vietnamese Taekwondo

At the 2025 Southeast Asian Youth Taekwondo Championship - pre-SEA Games 33, held in Khanh Hoa recently, the Vietnamese taekwondo team excellently won the overall first place with 43 gold medals.

This achievement adds hope to Vietnamese taekwondo on its journey back to the regional and international arena, and at the same time creates great motivation for athletes to confidently conquer other goals in the near future.

Martial artist Truong Thi Kim Tuyen (red) is expected to win a gold medal for the Vietnamese taekwondo team at the 33rd SEA Games.

Good news

The 2025 Southeast Asian Youth Taekwondo Championship, which took place from August 18 to 21, concluded with many exciting matches and impressive performances. In the end, the Vietnamese taekwondo team won 43 gold medals, 36 silver medals and 46 bronze medals, thereby ranking first overall.

Deputy Secretary General of the International Taekwondo Clubs Organization (ICTO) Nguyen Thanh Huy said that the 2025 Southeast Asian Youth and Championship Taekwondo Championship is not only a place for elite martial artists to compete but also a festival for young athletes in Southeast Asia to demonstrate their abilities and connect, promoting the development of this martial art. After the tournament, the Vietnamese Taekwondo team will review and evaluate its strength to select the best athletes to participate in the 33rd Southeast Asian Games , in order to continue to maintain and promote its leading position in the region.

Coach of the Vietnamese taekwondo team Vu Anh Tuan said that the results at the recent Southeast Asian tournament were a positive signal, helping the team confidently move towards upcoming international competitions. Notably, Vietnamese martial artists dominated the combat events and won many gold medals in weight categories, such as: Nguyen Thi Mai (46kg women), Truong Thi Kim Tuyen (49kg women), Nguyen Thi Loan (53kg women), Pham Ngoc Cham (57kg women), Tran Thi Anh Tuyet (62kg women), Bac Thi Khiem (67kg women), Nguyen Thi Huong (73kg women), Tran Thi Anh Ngan (over 73kg women); on the men's side, there were Nguyen Hong Trong (54kg), Dinh Cong Khoa (58kg), Le Tuan (63kg), Vo Minh Man (68kg), Pham Minh Bao Kha (80kg), Phan Phu Quy (87kg) and Nguyen Van Thinh (over 87kg).

Effort to achieve the goal

According to sports expert Nguyen Hong Minh, winning the overall title at the Southeast Asian tournament is an encouraging achievement, but Vietnamese taekwondo cannot be complacent. Because the Thai team - the host country of the 33rd SEA Games - did not participate in the tournament, and the Philippines - the emerging power of the region, has not yet deployed its strongest force. Therefore, Vietnamese taekwondo needs to prepare carefully to be able to achieve the goal at the 33rd SEA Games at the end of 2025. In addition to the 33rd SEA Games, the team also needs to calculate its force right now to prepare for the Asian Games (ASIAD) in 2026 as well as the qualifying round for the 2028 Summer Olympics.

According to the team's coaching board, the Vietnam Sports Administration has set a target for Vietnamese taekwondo to win 3-4 gold medals at the 33rd SEA Games. This is a big challenge when competing with strong opponents such as Thailand and the Philippines. The team is currently training actively and preparing to participate in the 2025 World Taekwondo Championship taking place in October 2025 in China. After this tournament, the team will be divided into two groups to train in Korea and Iran in November 2025.

Coach of the Vietnamese taekwondo team Vu Anh Tuan said that, looking at the achievements at the recent tournament, athletes such as Truong Thi Kim Tuyen (49kg women), Bac Thi Khiem (67kg women), Nguyen Thi Loan (53kg women), Nguyen Hong Trong (54kg men) ... are still the pillars of the Vietnamese taekwondo team. In addition, some small weight categories such as 46kg women, 49kg women or 54kg men are expected to create surprises at the 33rd SEA Games.

Mr. Vu Anh Tuan added: “Currently, the players are maintaining good physical condition and form. However, the coaching staff needs to wait until after the World Championship to fully grasp information about the opponents, from there adjust their skills, perfect their squad and build detailed plans for each athlete, ready for the goal of winning 3 to 4 gold medals at the 33rd SEA Games. It is expected that the team will select about 10 athletes to participate in the 33rd SEA Games. The whole team is accelerating their training progress, determined to strive for the best results.”

According to Hoang Quoc Vinh, Head of the High Performance Sports Department (Vietnam Sports Administration), the success at the Southeast Asian tournament not only creates motivation for the 33rd SEA Games but is also an important stepping stone for Vietnamese taekwondo to prepare for continental and world competitions. Organizing the tournament in Khanh Hoa also contributes to affirming the ability to host, creating an international competition environment for young Vietnamese martial artists to compete and improve their competitive spirit.

In particular, from the success of the current generation, the Vietnam Taekwondo Federation is coordinating with localities to build a strategy to develop the next generation, expanding the taekwondo training movement in schools and grassroots clubs. This is considered a solid foundation to ensure that Vietnamese taekwondo not only maintains its leading position in Southeast Asia but also aims for further goals at the ASIAD and the Olympics.

Hopefully, with careful preparation in terms of expertise, manpower and long-term strategy, Vietnamese taekwondo will not only complete its goals at the 33rd SEA Games but also take steady steps on the journey of integration and affirm the brand of Vietnamese martial arts on the world map.

Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/dong-luc-cho-taekwondo-viet-nam-715341.html