Vietnam had its best Southeast Asia Games showing since 2003, when the tournament was held in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.
Tuoi Tre reports that the Vietnamese delegation to the just-concluded SEA Games brought home 288 medals, behind only the Philippines. The 568-athlete team won 98 gold medals, 85 silver and 105 bronze, while the host country snagged 149 gold, 117 silver and 121 bronze medals.
Vietnam had aimed to win at least 60 gold medals and finish third on the medal table, meaning the country's athletes far exceeded expectations. Individuals across athletics, swimming, arnis, wrestling, taekwondo, wushu, artistic gymnastics, dancesport, karate, weightlifting, kurash, fencing and judo won the most medals.
Of course, the men's U-22 football team's gold medal victory over Indonesia stole most of the headlines, with fans nationwide exploding with joy on Tuesday night. The women's team deserves just as much praise for beating Thailand 1-0 for their own gold medal, while megastar swimmer Nguyen Thi Anh Vien was named the tournament's top female athlete after snagging six gold medals and two silvers.
According to Tuoi Tre, the SEA Games were first held in 1959, and now includes athletes from 11 countries competing in 530 events across 56 different sports. The next edition will be held in Hanoi in 2021, and one can only imagine the bão if Vietnam repeats its golden performances on home turf.
[Top photos via Vien Vong and QBTV]
