The 1,500-meter freestyle is Hoang’s signature event, and with a strong performance, he secured the first gold medal for Vietnam’s national swimming team at the 2025 continental championship.

The athlete from Quang Tri province finished with a time of 15 minutes 15.01 seconds, ahead of Sibirtev from Uzbekistan, who clocked 15 minutes 23.35 seconds. This is Nguyen Huy Hoang’s first individual Asian gold medal in his career.

Previously, the 2000-born swimmer won gold at the 32nd SEA Games in 2023 with a time of 15 minutes 11.24 seconds. At the 19th Asian Games (Asiad 19), Hoang placed fourth with a time of 15 minutes 04.06 seconds.

Also in the finals on September 29, Tran Hung Nguyen earned the silver medal in the men’s 400-meter individual medley with a time of 4 minutes 20.30 seconds. In the same event, Nguyen Quang Thuan - the younger brother of Nguyen Thi Anh Vien - placed fourth with a time of 4 minutes 21.25 seconds. The gold medal in this race went to Yichen Xie of China, who finished in 4 minutes 19.34 seconds.

Additionally, Vo Thi My Tien took bronze in the women’s 400-meter individual medley with a time of 4 minutes 49.81 seconds. In the men’s 4x200-meter freestyle relay, the Vietnamese team consisting of Tran Van Nguyen Quoc, Nguyen Huy Hoang, Nguyen Quang Thuan, and Tran Hung Nguyen placed seventh with a time of 7 minutes 38.18 seconds.

Dai Nam