Ho Chi Minh City Sports confidently aims for SEA Games 33

Race against time

Ho Chi Minh City is a locality that has contributed a lot to the achievements of Vietnamese sports at the Southeast Asian Games - SEA Games. Remember at the 32nd SEA Games in Cambodia, the city's sports contributed 119 athletes, competing in 27 sports and bringing home 31 gold medals, 24 silver medals, 20 bronze medals to the overall achievements of the Vietnamese delegation, considered a truly wonderful achievement when exceeding the target of 18-20 gold medals.

Continuing that tradition, Ho Chi Minh City sports contributed to the Vietnamese sports delegation at the 33rd SEA Games with 59 coaches and 258 athletes, participating in 37 sports and sub-sports, with the determination to be the locality that contributed the most gold medals.

At the National High-Level Athlete Training Center ( Hanoi ), where the Vietnamese gymnastics team is stationed, athletes are entering the peak training period. Contributing to the national team participating in the 33rd SEA Games, the Ho Chi Minh City unit has 3 coaches and 3 athletes, determined to win gold medals in individual events.

At this time, Coach Truong Minh Sang (HCMC Gymnastics Team, Vietnam Gymnastics Team) closely monitors each exercise, ensuring that his students are absolutely precise in every movement. Any incomplete movements or techniques will be adjusted immediately to ensure a perfect performance before the competition.

In the male gymnastics team, Nguyen Van Khanh Phong and Dang Ngoc Xuan Thien of Ho Chi Minh City are expected to successfully defend their gold medals from previous Games. Khanh Phong holds the advantage in the vault - the event in which he is the current SEA Games 32 champion, while Xuan Thien plays a key role in the vault event with 2 brilliant SEA Games gold medals. In the female event, Nguyen Thi Quynh Nhu is emerging as a new bright spot after winning the silver medal at the 2025 Asian Championship and is considered capable of competing for medals in Thailand.

The absence of the Philippines' "star" Carlos Yulo at the 33rd SEA Games has opened up the path to gold medals for Vietnam's gymnastics. However, coach Truong Minh Sang always reminds his students to maintain maximum concentration to avoid complacency. According to this coach, gymnastics is a sport that requires absolute precision and victory must first come from overcoming oneself.

Contribute to win glory

SEA Games 33 is approaching, so the atmosphere at the Saigon Cultural and Sports Service Center (HCMC) is getting "hotter" every day. Because 26 members of the Vietnamese tug-of-war team, also representatives from HCMC, are diligently practicing with a schedule of 5 sessions/week. All are looking forward to the SEA Games 33, where tug-of-war is included in the regional sports festival for the first time.

Although at a disadvantage in height, affecting the ability to create pulling force and stride compared to international teams, with a solid technical foundation, solidarity and careful preparation, the Vietnamese tug-of-war team is determined to turn challenges into motivation.

Vietnam tug-of-war team actively practices for SEA Games 33. Photo: P.MINH

Coach Doan Cong Thuan shared: "Tug of war seems simple, only requiring strength, but the difficulty is how the whole team maintains team spirit and the ability to coordinate every second. In the team, not everyone has a large body, but each person takes on a separate role, contributing to the overall strength of the whole team." Therefore, this coach always follows the athletes closely, meticulously adjusting every detail, from foot placement, rope holding posture to the rhythm of the shouts and the time to apply force.

For the first time at the 33rd SEA Games in Thailand, tug of war has gone from a familiar folk game to a competition in the Southeast Asian arena. The athletes’ dream is not only to win, but also to bring this familiar folk sport closer to international friends.

Similarly, teqball (a ball played on a curved table) is also a sport that has been included in the SEA Games program for the first time. Not staying out of the new trend, Vietnamese sports have registered to compete at the congress in Thailand with a force (3 coaches, 8 athletes) from Ho Chi Minh City. Participating for the first time at the SEA Games, each member of the Vietnamese teqball team has the desire to contribute and bring achievements to the country's sports.

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