Despite this strong finish, the day did not unfold entirely as expected. Team Vietnam failed to close the medal gap with Indonesia, falling short of its daily target on the overall medal table.

In the morning, Vietnam’s wushu team struggled in performance events, winning no golds. Veteran Duong Thuy Vi did not place on the podium, a rare outcome for the accomplished athlete.

However, the tide turned in the afternoon, as wushu's sanda (combat) category delivered two gold medals. Later in the day, Vietnamese athletics surged with a series of impressive victories from familiar faces.

Vietnam's gold medalists on December 15:

·        Nguyen Thi Thu Thuy (Wushu - women’s 60kg sanda)

·        Truong Van Chuong (Wushu - men’s 70kg sanda)

·        Quach Thi Lan (Athletics - women’s 400m hurdles)

·        Nguyen Trung Cuong (Athletics - men’s 3,000m steeplechase)

·        Nguyen Thi Oanh (Athletics - women’s 10,000m)

Silver medalists:

·        Dang Tran Phuong Nhi (Wushu - women’s southern broadsword)

·        Pham Quang Huy & Trinh Thu Vinh (Shooting - 10m air pistol mixed team)

·        Nguyen Thi Thuy Tien (Weightlifting - women’s 63kg)

·        Thu Thao, Anh Lan, Kim Thanh, Vu Thi Thu (Pétanque - women’s triple)

·        Le Thi Tuyet (Athletics - women’s 10,000m)

·        Nguyen Thi Thu Ha (Athletics - women’s 800m)

·        Phung Thi Hue, Le Thi Cam Tu, Kha Thanh Truc, Ha Thi Thu (Athletics - women’s 4x100m relay)

·        Tran Van Nguyen Quoc (Swimming - men’s 400m freestyle)

·        Women’s national volleyball team

Bronze medalists:

·        Le Quoc Huy (Athletics - men’s 400m)

·        Pham Van Nghia (Athletics - men’s long jump)

·        Bui Thi Ngan (Athletics - women’s 800m)

·        Nguyen Huy Hoang (Swimming - men’s 400m freestyle)

Key developments throughout the day:

Morning struggles in wushu

In weapon performance events, Vietnamese wushu athletes failed to secure a single medal. Nguyen Thi Hien and Duong Thuy Vi underperformed in the women’s weapon duel, while male athletes Nguyen Van Phuong and Nguyen Trong Lam fell short in the tai chi sword routine.

Afternoon rebound: two golds in sanda

Vietnam’s comeback began with Nguyen Thi Thu Thuy defeating her Myanmar opponent in the women’s 60kg final. Shortly after, Truong Van Chuong triumphed over a Laotian fighter to win gold in the men’s 70kg category.

Nguyen Thi Oanh makes history

In the women’s 10,000m final, Nguyen Thi Oanh ran a dominant race to secure her 14th SEA Games gold medal. Le Thi Tuyet finished second, earning silver for Vietnam.

Strong showings from Vietnamese athletics

·        Quach Thi Lan breezed through the women’s 400m hurdles, winning gold with a time of 56.82 seconds.

·        Nguyen Trung Cuong defended his title in the 3,000m steeplechase.

·        The women’s 4x100m relay team claimed silver behind Thailand.

·        In the women’s 800m, Nguyen Thi Thu Ha and Bui Thi Ngan finished second and third respectively.

·        Le Quoc Huy and Pham Van Nghia added bronze in the 400m and long jump events.

Swimming ups and downs

Vietnam added several medals in the pool, though not all favorites delivered gold.

·        Tran Van Nguyen Quoc took silver, and Nguyen Huy Hoang settled for bronze in the men’s 400m freestyle.

·        Vo Thi My Tien claimed silver in the women’s 800m freestyle with a time of 8:49.02.

·        Dương Van Hoang Quy and Nguyen Quang Thuan finished second and third in the men’s 200m butterfly.

·        In the men’s 200m backstroke, neither Tran Hung Nguyen nor Cao Van Dung reached the podium.

Volleyball heartbreak

The women’s volleyball team fell 2–3 to host nation Thailand in a tense gold medal match. After leading 10–5 in the final set, Vietnam lost the deciding set 23–25, settling for silver.

Ngoc Huy