Runner Nguyen Thi Oanh on May 14 won the first gold in athletics at the 31st SEA Games on May 14, the second official day of competition, at Hanoi’s My Dinh Stadium. Oanh defended her title in the women’s 1,500m event after finishing with a time of 4min 14.98sec. It was Oanh’s third time winning this event at the SEA Games. This year she ran about three seconds faster than three years ago in the Philippines. 

Her teammate Khuat Phuong Anh came second in 4:26.90, and Singapore representative Goh Chui Ling was third in 4:33.41.

Another gold for Vietnam belonged to wushu martial artist Duong Thuy Vi who succeeded in the women’s qiangshu (spear) event.

Vi topped the ranking with a 9.7-point performance, bagging her second title this Games after the first one in the jianshu (straight sword). Her teammate Nong Van Huu secured bronze in the men’s nanquan (southern boxing style).

In rowing, Pham Thi Hue won her title in the women's single sculls at the Games in the Thuy Nguyen Boat Racing Centre in Hai Phong City.

Duo Luong Thi Thao and Dinh Thi Hao won in the lightweight women's double sculls.

Teammates Tran Duong Nghia and Pham Manh Linh came second in the men’s pair event.

SEA Games 31: Vietnam secures two first gold medals in kickboxing

The Vietnamese kickboxing team on May 13 brought home the two first gold medals at the 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31).

The gold medalists are Huynh Van Tuan and Nguyen Thi Hang Nga.  

Tuan defeated his Indonesian opponent Pattisamallo Salmri Stendra with a score of 3-0 after three rounds of the first match of the men's under-51kg weight class in the Full Contact category.

Tuan’s triumph helps raise the strength for the Vietnamese kickboxing team.

In the women's under-48kg category of the Full Contact event, Nga had a great performance against her Filipino rival Dasalla Renalyn Dacquel. Nga also defeated her opponent with a score of 3-0 after three rounds.

SEA Games 31: Vietnam aims high in martial arts

Vietnam's martial arts teams are considered a potential 'gold mine' any SEA Games, and this year's edition is no exception.

Winning a gold medal in Kurash marked a good start for the hosts. “It is an honour for us to win Vietnam’s first gold medal. It is even greater that the Vietnamese Kurash team have fulfilled their gold target in just the first two days,” team manager Nguyen Huu An told reporters at Hanoi’s Hoai Duc Gymnasium. 

Manager of the Vovinam team Ngo Ba Huy said his players are in good spirits. The team has been training twice a day but were being careful to avoid picking up injuries, he said.

Huy added many Southeast Asian countries have improved in Vietnam’s traditional martial art, so this year’s competition will be exciting.

Vietnamese wushu athletes are also in high spirits ahead of SEA Games 31, team manager Vu Van Trung said, noting the team is aiming for at least five gold medals.

Vietnam expects to see five athletes competing in kickboxing finals, said team leader Vu Duc Thanh. He further noted that Vietnamese boxers have been in Bac Ninh for training and two medal hopefuls - Nguyen Van Duong and Nguyen Thi Tam - are ready to give it their best shots.

Karate, Taekwondo and Judo athletes are also keeping their spirits high for the region’s biggest sports event. Coach Nguyen Duy Khanh of the Judo team said the training trip in Mongolia in March as well as intensive tactical training has made his team more confident.

Malaysian media impressed with SEA Games 31’s opening ceremony

Malaysian media have hailed the SEA Games 31 opening ceremony of host Vietnam, which took place in Hanoi’s My Dinh National Stadium on May 12 night.

The Star daily newspaper wrote that the Games officially started with “a glitzy affair that showcased the cultural fabric and unity” of the host nation.

Vietnam also showed the solidarity of all the countries in Southeast Asia, which has grown stronger over the years, it continued.

The article noted that the Malaysian contingent caught the eye of many, especially the dress worn by flag bearer and national diver Dhabitah Sabri, who clad in the traditional attire of a Malay princess which mirrored the colour of the Malaysian flag. She won Malaysia’s first gold in the Games on May 8.

Malaysian national news agency Bernama stated that host Vietnam staged an eye-catching opening ceremony in a blaze of colour, light and fireworks at the My Dinh National Stadium.

SEA Games 31: Vietnamese gymnasts win gold in artistic men’s team

Vietnam secured a gold medal in the artistic gymnastics men’s team at the ongoing SEA Games 31, scoring 331.25 points after nearly three hours of competition on May 13.

The Philippines bagged silver with 301.6 points, while Singapore scored 297.65 points to earn a bronze medal.

Carlos Yulo of the Philippines triumphed in the men’s all-around, while Vietnamese gymnasts Le Thanh Tung and Dinh Phuong Thanh clinched the silver and bronze medals.

SEA Games 31: Vietnam’s Kurash team win seven gold medals

Nguyen Thi Thanh Tram on May 13 won a gold for the Vietnamese Kurash team at the ongoing 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31), lifting the total number of gold medals in the sport to seven, surpassing the target of five.

Tram claimed the gold medal in the women’s under-70kg class.

The Vietnamese team also bagged one silver and two bronze medals on May 13 - the third and also last competition day in Kurash, which featured the men’s under-73kg, the women’s under-57kg and under-70kg categories.

Head coach of the national Kurash team Nguyen Tuan Hoc attributed the success to the attention of sports authorities, careful preparations over the last two years, and high determination of athletes.

SEA Games 31: Vietnam top Group A after 1-0 win over Myanmar in men’s football

Vietnam won 1-0 over Myanmar on May 13 to gain an advantage in progressing to the semi-finals of the men’s football at the ongoing SEA Games 31.

Team captain Do Hung Dung was the home team’s hero for scoring the match’s only goal in the 76th minute.

The victory helped Vietnam overcome their Myanmar rivals to top Group A with seven points after three games.

Meanwhile, Myanmar moved down to the third spot behind Indonesia, who defeated the Philippines 4-0 earlier the same day. 

Both teams have six points and will face in the next match at Phu Tho’s Viet Tri Stadium on May 15, while Vietnam will play the bottom-placed Timor Leste in their last fixture in the group stage.

SEA Games 31: Vietnamese fencer wins gold in men's sabre

Vietnamese fencer Vu Thanh An won gold at the ongoing 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31) after defeating his Thai opponent in the final of the men's sabre individual event on May 13.

After going cruising through the group and knockout stages, An defeated Ruangrit Haekerd 15-11 to qualify for the final.

His opponent Srinualnad Voragun was overwhelmed with a score of 15-7, with An successfully defending his SEA Games title.
 
Vietnamese fencing coach Pham Anh Tuan said he believes that An  will continue to dominate the sport.

SEA Games 31: Vietnam set on securing 6-8 gold from swimming

The target of 6-8 gold medals has been set for Vietnamese swimmers at SEA Games 31, but with the absence of Anh Vien, the team would face considerable challenges, said Dinh Viet Hung, General Secretary of the Vietnam Aquatic Sports Association (VASA). 

In the past three editions of the Games in 2015, 2017 and 2019, Vietnam was ranked second in swimming, with most of the gold medals brought by Anh Vien.

Singapore has been ahead of the region in swimming, but Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia have recently invested strongly in the sport.

The team is pinning hope on Nguyen Huy Hoang and Tran Hung Nguyen in men's events, and Le  My Thao in women's. Pham Thi Van is a rising hopeful, as she has surpassed Anh Vien for four times in the recent three consecutive tournaments.

Swimming events are scheduled to run from May 14 to 19 at the My Dinh Water Sports Stadium in Hanoi.

Thai golfer leads first round of men’s individual category at SEA Games 31

Thai golfer Weerawish Narkprachar has led the first round of the men’s single category at SEA Games 31, according to the organising committee.

The 18-hole event was held at Heron Lake Golf Course & Resort in the northern province of Vinh Phuc.

Weerawish took the lead with 4 under par. Hiroshi Hirahara Tai of Singapore came second (-3), and Pongsapak Laopakdee of Thailand and Indonesian Amadeus Christian Susanto were joint third (-2).

Vietnamese golfer Nguyen Anh Minh finished the round 1 under, alongside Ervin Chang of Singapore and Ratchanon Chantananuwat of Thailand.

In the women’s group, Natthakritta Vongtaveelap and Eila Galitsky, both from Thailand, are leading the first round both scoring 5 under par.

Natthakritta is one of the best golfers in Thailand. The 20-year-old golfer is world No 79. She is the athlete with the second-best world ranking at this year’s Games.

The athlete with the highest ranking is currently 18-year-old Malaysian female golfer Jeneath Wong (No 64).

A total of 55 golfers from nine countries began competing at SEA Games 31 on May 13.

The athletes are to vie for four sets of medals in men's singles, women's singles, men's and women's teams. They will go through three rounds of stroke play to compete for medals in the men's and women's singles, with the results used to seed the team competition.

SEA Games 31: Vietnam leaves strong impressions on international media

The homepage of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the international media have run articles reflecting their impressions with the brilliant and magnificent opening ceremony of the 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31) at My Dinh National Stadium in Hanoi in the evening of May 12.

“The Games came to life in a flourish of colour, dance and performance, all under the banner of the Games slogan 'For A Stronger Southeast Asia',” read the article entitled “Opening ceremony lights up Hanoi in a spectacular celebration of Southeast Asia as SEA Games officially begin” on IOC website.

“Highlights included a beautiful lotus dance representing inspiration, aspiration, and strength, and the unveiling of 11 woodcut folk paintings accompanied by a dance,” it said.

Singapore's The Straits Times newspaper wrote: “The SEA Games returned to Vietnam for the first time in almost 20 years on Thursday night (May 12) with a dazzling light show and spectacular pyrotechnics witnessed by more than 20,000 spectators in a packed My Dinh Stadium.

Sazali Abdul Aziz, the author of the article, appreciated the efforts of the host country, saying this will be the first SEA Games to be staged since the emergence of COVID-19. Vietnam, like many other ASEAN nations, is taking confident strides towards returning to normalcy, he wrote.

Singapore's CNA television channel commented that the opening ceremony of the SEA Games 31 had blown up the spirit of the Games, even though it was raining heavily in Hanoi just a few hours before the start of the event.

According to the Bernama news agency of Malaysia, host Vietnam staged an eye-catching opening ceremony in a blaze of colour, light and fireworks.

The Star newspaper of Malaysia wrote that SEA Games 31, the regional biggest sports event, started with a glitzy affair that showcased the cultural fabric and solidarity of the republic. The host nation also showed the solidarity of all countries in Southeast Asia, which has grown stronger over the year, it said.

The ASEAN Post of Malaysia cited some locals’ opinions that the organisation of the Games is a sign that life is returning to normal.

Indonesia’s The Jakarta Post newspaper also runs an article with the title “The opening ceremony of the SEA Games 31 shows Vietnamese identity”.

Thai newspapers also highlighted this event. According to the Khao Sod, the organisers used traditional values to connect Southeast Asia. The host country Vietnam has mobilised more than 1,000 performers who have made a strong impression with their own cultural identity and traditions, reflecting the strength of the people of ASEAN through modern technology, the newspaper said, adding it represents "For a stronger Southeast Asia" spirit.

International news agencies such as Xinhua News Agency, Associated Press (AP), Agence France-Presse  (AFP) also reported on this event.

“Vietnam set off a spectacle of lights, dance and music at Thursday's opening ceremony of the Southeast Asian Games, brushing aside gloomy weather to launch a party-like atmosphere eclipsing a six-month COVID delay of the event," wrote an AFP article entitled “Lights and dance as Vietnam opens 31st SEA Games”.

Golf tournament at SEA Games 31 begins

A total of 55 golfers from nine countries on May 13 began competing at SEA Games 31 in the northern province of Vinh Phuc, according to the Organising Committee.

The athletes are to vie for four sets of medals in men's singles, women's singles, men's and women's teams. They will go through three rounds of stroke play to compete for medals in the men's and women's singles, with the results used to seed the team competition.

The Vietnamese team consists of nine golfers, including five males.

Head coach of the Vietnamese squad Nguyen Thai Duong said seven of them are under 18 years old but are all highly experienced and have once obtained high places at other tournaments.

Particularly, Nguyen Anh Minh won the 2022 Lexus Challenge Golf Tournament and the 2022 Vinfast national golf championship. Nguyen Bao Long and Nguyen Dang Minh triumphed the national championships in 2019 and 2020, respectively. Meanwhile, Doan Xuan Khue, 19, won the 2022 Vinfast national golf championship.

Vietnam women’s football team receives bonuses for win over Philippines

Vietnam women’s football squad has been given bonuses worth 700 million VND (some 30,000 USD) after defeating the Philippines at SEA Games 31.

Of the rewards, 500 million VND comes from the Vietnam Football Federation and 200 million VND is sourced from the northern province of Quang Ninh that hosted the game.

In their first women's football match at SEA Games 31, Vietnam made a 2-1 comeback win over the Philippines.

Vietnam head coach Mai Duc Chung said his team was aiming to defend their title at SEA Games 31, noting the squad have been appreciated by experts and fans.

SEA Games 31: Philippines crush Malaysia at female’s indoor handball

The Philippines trounced Malaysia 3-0 at the opening match of ongoing SEA Games 31’s indoor handball competition which started in the northern coastal province of Quang Ninh’s Ha Long city on May 13.

Philippine athletes overwhelmed their Malaysian rivals and won all the three rounds of the match.

According to experts, the Philippine women's team is among the strong competitors at the Games. Before coming to Vietnam, they were trained for two weeks in Brazil.

SEA Games 31 handball events, lasting until May 22, see the participation of five female and seven male teams.

In the women’s category, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Indonesia compete in a round-robin format to find four squads to compete in the semi-finals and the final.

Singaporean athletes hoped to earn 45 golds at SEA Games 31

While Singapore’s sports administrators did not set a medal target at the ongoing SEA Games 31 in Vietnam, their athletes are believed to have the potential to garner 45 gold medals, according to the Games Organising Committee.

Up to 243 out of the 427 athletes who represent Singapore at SEA Games 31 are debutants.

Expectations are high for the Singaporean team, following strong showings in SEA Games 30 in the Philippines in 2019 (53 golds, 46 silvers, 68 bronzes) and 2017 (58 - 58 - 72) in Kuala Lumpur.

Led by Olympians Joseph Schooling and Quah Zheng Wen, Singapore's swimmers are likely to dominate in the pool once more and mine almost half of that total target.

While the sailors, who typically deliver a good haul of golds at the Games, will not be in Hanoi as sailing is not contested, others sports like table tennis, bowling and shooting should contribute multiple medals, as could sports where Singapore has enjoyed recent success in such as fencing and cue sports.

Combat sports, which account for a record 32.5 percent of the 40 sports contested in Vietnam, are also likely to brought home medals in pencak silat, jiu jitsu and wushu. Pencak silat exponent Iqbal Abdul Rahman notched the first gold for Singapore on May 11 in the men's artistic singles (Tunggal).

SEA Games 31: Philipines to create favourable conditions for its athletes

Favourable conditions will be created for Philippine athletes so they can focus on their competitions and get the best results at the ongoing31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31), Commissioner Ramon Fernandez of the Philippine Sports Commission has said.

“We are ready to receive our athletes and coaches and extend the assistance they need once they arrive here,” Fernandez, the country’s chef de mission to the Games, was quoted by the Philippine Daily Inquirer as saying.

The Philippine delegation to SEA Games 31 comprises 193 athletes, coaches, officials, and members of the media.

Among them, there are many outstanding athletes including world champion gymnast Carlos Edriel Yulo, SEA Games hurdler Eric Shawn Cray ,and tennis star Alex Eala.

Yulo claimed two gold medals and five silvers, making him the Philippine with the most significant hoard of medals back in SEA Games 30 in Manila.

The Philippine-American Cray is set to defend his 400m hurdles title while the 16-year-old Eala, attending for the national team in the Games for the first time, is the No. 2 junior player in the world.

Many other athletes are expected to bring gold medals for the Philippines at the tournament.

SEA Games 31: Pétanque athletes kick off competition

Pétanque events within the ongoing SEA Games 31 kicked off in Hanoi after an opening ceremony on May 13.   

A total of 98 athletes from six nations – host Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand, and Malaysia – are set to join knockout matches, lasting 20 minutes each.

The matches are conducted in accordance with the statutes of the Asian Boules Sport Confederation. Throughout May 13, taking place are qualifying quarterfinals, semi-finals and the final matches among participating squads, with medals awarded in the afternoon.

Vietnam sent 19 athletes, including 10 males, to the events.

The 31st edition is the 10th time the sport has been included in the SEA Games competition programme since 2001.

Fencers begin competitions at SEA Games 31, with eyes on medals

Fencing competitions of the 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) began on March 13, with Vietnam sending its aces to vie for medals.

On the day, fencers Nguyen Phuong Kim and Vu Thi Hong will compete in the women’s epee event, while Vu Thanh An and Nguyen Xuan Loi will begin their SEA Games tournament in the men’s sabre.

Fencing used to be one of Vietnam's top sports at the regional Games. In 2015, athletes picked up eight gold medals out of the 12 on offer. But at the following games in 2017 they only managed three out of six and in 2019, they lost their top spot winning just four out of 12.

Coach of the Vietnamese fencing team Pham Anh Tuan said that in the SEA Games 31, the team is confident of winning three gold medals.

Fencing events with 12 sets of medals are taking place at the Hanoi Indoor Games Gymnasium from May 13 to 18.

SEA Games 31: Sports delegations get free entry to Thang Long Imperial Citadel

The Thang Long-Hanoi Heritage Conservation Centre has allowed free daytime admission to the Thang Long Imperial Citadel for athletes and sports delegations attending the ongoing 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31) to welcome the largest regional sports event. 

As part of its efforts to attract visitors to the citadel, the centre has also reduced the entrance fees of the night tour "Decoding the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long” in May 2022 from 300,000 VND (12.99 USD) per person to 200,000 VND.

According to the centre, the night tour, which just restarted at the end of April, has received positive feedback from locals and visitors.

With these attractive programmes, the centre expects more visitors, especially those attending SEA Games 31.  

On the occasion, an exhibition themed “General Van Tien Dung - famous General of the Ho Chi Minh era" is being organised, featuring more than 150 valuable documents and artifacts related to the General - a talented military expert.

SEA Games 31: Philippines triumphs in triathlon competitions

The men’s and women’s triathlon competitions of SEA Games 31 began in Ha Long city of the north-eastern province of Quang Ninh on May 14, seeing the participation of athletes from seven countries.

Fernando Tan Casares and Andrew Remonino of the Philippines won the gold and silver in the men’s individual category, clocking 1:56:57 and 1:59:16, respectively.

Ronald Bintang Setiawan of Indonesia claimed the bronze medal.

Lam Quang Nhat of host Vietnam, who was the gold medallist in the men’s 1,500m in swimming of SEA Games in 2013 and 2015 and switched to triathlon recently, finished first in the first three rounds but was overtaken in the fourth one.

Similarly in the women’s individual event, the Philippine athletes showed their strength with Marion Mangrobang and Raven Alcoseba coming first and third.

Indonesian athlete Inge Prasetyo bagged silver.

A medal award ceremony was held in the morning of the same day.

SEA Games 31: Singapore’s gymnasts put end to seven-year medal drought

The men’s gymnastics team of Singapore on May 13 grabbed its first medal since the 2015 SEA Games on home soil. 

The team scored 297.65 points to secure a bronze at the ongoing SEA Games 31 while host Vietnam triumphed with 331.25 points at the competition held in Hanoi’s Quan Ngua Sports Palace.

Captain Terry Tay said regardless of the colour of the medal, it was a feat itself, saying that really has been a journey.

He was also part of the team that won bronze in the same event at the 2015 SEA Games but said the two moments could not be compared.

Each competition has its own charm and he was happy to have the current team behind him to push together, the Straits Times quoted the gymnast as saying.

SEA Games 31: Thai newspaper in awe of Vietnam football fans’ support

Matches of Thailand in the men’s football at the ongoing SEA Games 31 in Nam Dinh province’s Thien Truong Stadium attracted a large number of spectators compared to other fixtures, reported a Thai newspaper.

Siamsport recently published an article entitled ‘Favourite of local football fans!’, highlighting the two games featuring the Thai team in Group B have seen the highest audience in the tournament so far.

Thien Truong Stadium, with a seat capacity of 30,000, was nearly full in both Thailand’s faceoffs with Malaysia and Singapore.

The newspaper underlined that most of the spectators were Vietnamese, although hosts Vietnam are in a different group.

Previously, ASEAN Football page published photos of Thien Truong Stadium on May 7 when it hosted two games of Group B.

“What an atmosphere! 30,000 fans in Thien Truong Stadium tonight!” it wrote.

The site stated this is the new record for the match with the most spectators at a neutral venue in SEA Games history.

Two matches of Vietnam against Indonesia and the Philippines held at the 18,000-seat Viet Tri Stadium in Phu Tho province in Group A were among five highest-attended ones, with more than 16,180 fans attending each game.

SEA Games 31: Vietnam tops kickboxing medal tally

Vietnam has retained its throne in kickboxing at the regional arena after bagging five gold medals at SEA Games 31 on home soil. 

Kickboxing competitions wrapped up on May 13 evening with finals of weight categories being held in the northern province of Bac Ninh.

Huynh Van Tuan, who won gold at the previous SEA Games in the Philippines in the under 51kg Full Contact men category, succeeded in defending his title after beating his Indonesian opponent Pattisamallo Salmri Stendra in the final.

Meanwhile, Nguyen Thi Hang Nga clinched another gold in the women’s under 48kg Full Contact, which was her second at the regional sporting event.

The third gold medal for Vietnam was gained by Huynh Thi Kim Vang, who took down her Philippine rival Zephania Ngaya in the under 65kg Full Contact women event.

Nguyen The Huong secured the fourth gold medal on the day as he showed his dominance over Lorn Panha of Cambodia in the men’s under 67kg Full Contact. He only pocketed bronze at SEA Games 30 in the Philippines.

The fifth one was earned by the Bac Ninh-born kickboxer Nguyen Quang Huy in the under 60kg Low Kick men category.

Vietnam topped the kickboxing tally with five gold and six bronze medals, followed by Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia.

Source: VNA/VNN/VOV/VNS