Mai Tran Tuan Anh and Nguyen Huy Hoang won medals at the 2026 Asian Open Surface Swimming Championships. Photo: Hoai Viet
The test at sea
At the 2026 Asian Open Surface Swimming Championships in Bali, Indonesia, in mid-June, the Vietnamese swimming team participated with three male swimmers: Nguyen Huy Hoang, Mai Tran Tuan Anh, and Nguyen Viet Tuong, and two young female talents, Vo Thi My Tien and Nguyen Kha Nhi. In their first competition, the swimmers won one silver medal and four bronze medals, helping Vietnam finish second overall.
This achievement places us above the third-placed team, South Korea, in terms of bronze medals. However, we are still five gold medals behind the leader, China. This is a considerable gap that we will find difficult to close in the short term.
“Open water swimming competitions are heavily influenced by water waves, sunny and windy weather… Athletes must focus on adjusting their speed appropriately during competition, especially in long distances. We are keeping the whole team's morale stable and determined to achieve our goals,” shared Coach Nguyen Hoang Vu of the Vietnamese National Swimming Team.
In Huy Hoang's case, he finished second in the 5km race (57 minutes 04 seconds 10) and third in the 10km race (1 hour 53 minutes 30 seconds 20). While his 5km result was about seven seconds behind his Chinese opponent, the gap widened to nearly 10 seconds in the 10km race.
Notably, those receiving the awards were all big names. Lan Tianchen, the champion in both men's events in Bali, had previously won a silver medal in the 10km race at the 19th Asian Games. And Wu Shutong, the winner of the 5km women's race in My Tien, was the reigning champion from the Games four years ago.
A promising generation of young people.
In fact, the four Vietnamese swimmers, Nguyen Huy Hoang, Mai Tran Tuan Anh, Vo Thi My Tien, and Nguyen Kha Nhi, have been paired together since competing at the 33rd SEA Games. These swimmers won the gold medal in the mixed 4x1,500m open water relay in Thailand with a total time of 1 hour 12 minutes and 18 seconds.
Two months ago, these four athletes continued to make their mark at the 2026 Asian Beach Games in the mixed 4x1,500m relay, achieving a time of 1 hour 06 minutes 32 seconds 40. At the most recent competition, Huy Hoang and his teammates' time narrowed to just over 57 minutes.
As in the men's 5km race, Tuan Anh finished third behind Huy Hoang with a time of 57 minutes 04 seconds 60, just 50 hundredths of a second behind his senior. Long-distance and open water events require excellent physical fitness, high endurance, and persistent strategic thinking. The remarkable progress of Tuan Anh, My Tien, and Kha Nhi under the guidance of their senior Huy Hoang has raised expectations for their potential to win medals at this 20th Asian Games.
According to sports expert Nguyen Hong Minh, the Vietnamese swimming team has built a core group of young athletes aged 16 to 20. With performance figures close to the Olympic A standard, we have every reason to confidently assert that this is the next generation of talented swimmers in the "aquatic arena".
The gap ahead of the ASIAD
Alongside the joy and hope of winning medals at the 2026 Asian Open Surface Swimming Championships, the Vietnamese swimming team must also frankly acknowledge the realistic challenges at the continental level. Looking at the performance at the 19th Asian Games, only Vietnam and Singapore from Southeast Asia won swimming medals. In particular, Huy Hoang contributed two bronze medals in the 400m and 800m freestyle events, becoming the most successful swimmer in our country's history.
However, both bronze medals won in Hangzhou that year were faster than Huy Hoang's closest previous best time. The most anticipated swimmer had slowed down as he approached his age.
The challenge becomes even more difficult in open water events. When competing on a major continental stage like the ASIAD, the organizers apply stricter competition rules equivalent to the Olympics, retaining only the standard distance of 10 km individual and completely eliminating relay events and shorter 5 km distances. Therefore, Nguyen Huy Hoang's bronze medal in the 10 km race in Bali represents the most realistic hope for the upcoming autumn season.
The coming period will be a time for the coaching staff to personalize training plans for each key athlete, alongside plans for training and competitions abroad. With thorough preparation and continuous improvement through experience, Vietnamese swimmers still have nearly three months to close the gap, getting ready to conquer the open sea.
Ms. Le Thanh Huyen, head of the swimming department (Vietnam Sports and Physical Education Department), commented that the challenges at ASIAD 20 are immense, as the tournament brings together top swimmers from Japan, China, and South Korea.
According to Nhandan.vn
Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/luot-tren-con-song-hy-vong-a489515.html
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