The standings as of December 15 mark a significant leap forward for Team Vietnam, which has now secured 39 gold, 47 silver, and 70 bronze medals - bringing the total to 156 medals.

The highlight of the day was five key gold medals, underscoring Vietnam’s strong performance in Olympic and martial arts disciplines.

In wushu sanda, two gold medals were clinched by Nguyen Thi Thu Thuy in the women’s 60kg category and Truong Van Chuong in the men’s 70kg, reaffirming Vietnam’s depth and consistency in this sport.

Vietnam also continued to shine on the track, with gold medals in the women’s 400m hurdles by Quach Thi Lan and in the men’s 3,000m steeplechase by Nguyen Trung Cuong.

But the biggest spotlight belonged to Nguyen Thi Oanh, who once again dazzled in the women’s 10,000m. Her victory not only secured another gold for Vietnam but also solidified her status as the most decorated female athlete in Vietnamese athletics history, achieving a record-breaking 14 SEA Games gold medals.

These performances helped Vietnam maintain its position among the leading nations, although still behind Indonesia and host country Thailand in the overall tally.

A moment of heartbreak came from the women’s volleyball team, which fell just short of a historic gold medal. Vietnam lost 2–3 to Thailand in a dramatic final, despite leading 10–5 in the decisive fifth set. The final score turned around unexpectedly to 23–25.

Meanwhile, Thailand continued to dominate with 145 gold medals, placing them far ahead in the race for the overall championship. However, Vietnam's consistent success across Olympic sports demonstrated not just medal quantity, but quality and long-term potential.

Thien Binh