The Vietnamese team has seven competitors, including the 31st SEA Games champions. They will begin the competition on October 8 in the Bahrain Conference Centre at the Crowne Plaza Hotel.

Nguyen Huy Hung, head of the Weightlifting Department of the Vietnam Sports Administration, said the team includes both veterans and newcomers but are the best lifters in their weight classes.

He said all athletes are set to grab their best results in Bahrain because it is an important warm-up event for Vietnamese athletes ahead of the world championships in two months.

The world championship will count towards qualification for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Two athletes with high medal hopes are Hoang Thi Duyen in the women's 59kg category and Lai Gia Thanh in the men's 61kg class.

Duyen, taking part in the Asian tournament for the sixth time, was the only athlete to win medals, two bronzes, for Vietnam in last year's tournament in Uzbekistan.

The Tokyo Olympian successfully defended her title at the 31st Games in May in Hanoi.

Thanh was one of the most successful Vietnamese lifters at the Game, winning gold and setting two new records.

Other athletes include Pham Thi Hong Thanh, SEA Games champion in women's 64kg class, Khong My Phuong, SEA Games silver holder in the women's 45kg; and three young athletes Nguyen Tran Anh Tuan (men's 55kg), Quang Thi Tam (women's 59kg) and Tran Thi My Dung (women's 49kg).

Also, in this competition, national champion Trinh Van Vinh will participate in the men's 61kg category. Vinh is still under a four-year world ban because of doping violations.

As he will be free to compete from next March, the coaching board wanted the athlete to join in competitions and improve his ability gradually./. VNA