Vietnam’s sportsmen and women had an outstanding 2018 at home and abroad. Vietnam News looks at the 10 most outstanding events of the year.

Viet Nam lift the AFF Suzuki Cup. 

1. After a decade of waiting, the Vietnamese team once again lifted the AFF Suzuki Cup. Việt Nam defeated Malaysian 1-0 in the second leg of the final at Hà Nội’s Mỹ Đình National Stadium on December 15 to win 3-2 on aggregate.

Việt Nam U23 team at the AFC U23 Championship. — voanews.com

2. The U23 football team finished second at the AFC U23 Championship held in China in January, the country’s best ever finish at a regional-level event.

3. Hà Nội was chosen to host a Formula 1 race for 10 years, with the first race slated for April 2020. It will be held on the streets close to Mỹ Đình National Stadium. The race will put Hà Nội and Việt Nam on the world map of major sporting events.

4. The Vietnamese delegation had a successful Asian Games in Indonesia with four gold, 16 silver and 18 bronze medals, the country’s best ever medal haul at the event. Notably, Bùi Thị Thu Thảo won Việt Nam’s first ever track-and-field gold medal at the event in the women’s long jump.

Also at this event, the Vietnamese team made history by advancing to the semi-finals of the men’s football, losing to eventual winners South Korea.

Bùi Thị Thu Thảo.

5. Việt Nam bagged a total of 40 medals, including eight gold, eight silver and 24 bronze medals at the Asian Para Games in Indonesia, ranking 12th out of 33 teams. Swimmer Võ Thanh Tùng won three gold medals, breaking an Asian record and two records of the Games.

Võ Thanh Tùng. 

6. Swimmer Nguyễn Huy Hoàng won a gold medal at the Summer Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires, Argentina in the men’s 800m freestyle category.

Meanwhile, weightlifter Ngô Đỉnh Sơn also brought home a gold medal in the men’s 56kg event.

Swimmer Nguyễn Huy Hoàng (left). 

7. Nguyễn Ngọc Trường Sơn won a gold medal at the 2018 World Chess Olympiad in Georgia. His performance helped Việt Nam’s male team finish seventh out of 187 teams, their first top 10 finish at the event. The female team stood 15th out of 151.

Nguyễn Ngọc Trường Sơn. — FIDE Photo

8. Việt Nam was chosen to host the 31st Southeast Asian (SEA) Games and Para Games 11 in 2021. The SEA Games 31 will last for about 17 days and Para Games 11 about 11 days, from October to December 2021. Some 11,000 athletes and coaches are expected to participate in the SEA Games, with 2,100 to join the Para Games.

Việt Nam will host the 31st Southeast Asian Games. — Photo laodong.vn

9. The National Sports Games, a multi-sport event held every four years, closed with more than 200 national records broken. Swimmer Nguyễn Thị Ánh Viên of the Military team was the top athlete with 12 gold medals. She broke seven Games’ records and two national records.

With 176 gold, 149 silver and 139 bronze medals, Hà Nội triumphed at the event, followed by HCM City and the Military team.

Swimmer Nguyễn Thị Ánh Viên

10. Lý Hoàng Nam is currently world No 404 in the ATP rankings, the highest ranking ever for any Vietnamese ace. 

Lý Hoàng Nam. — Photo nld.mediacdn.vn

VNS