Meanwhile, Nguyen Thi Thanh Phuc brought home the first gold medal for Vietnamese athletics, clocking 1 hour and 55 minutes in the women's 20km walk.

The Games officially began on May 5 and will finish on May 17 in Cambodia’s capital city and four other localities, with more than 12,400 athletes, coaches, officials, staff and volunteers set to participate.

The Vietnamese team has 1,003 members, including 702 athletes competing in 31 sports. They target to win between 90-120 gold medals for a place in the top three finish./. VNA