Nguyen Thuy Linh’s joy on the day of her military service was not complete.
On the opening day of the Vietnamese badminton team at the 33rd Southeast Asian Games, Nguyen Thuy Linh was the only athlete to bring home a victory. The Vietnamese made a spectacular comeback and won 2-1 against the number one Malaysian women’s team, Karupathevan Letshanaa. Thuy Linh lost the first set, but won the second set confidently. In the decisive third set, the player from Phu Tho impressively demonstrated her experience and fighting spirit. At one point, Thuy Linh was five points behind, but the Vietnamese stubbornly fought back, fended off the match point twice and ultimately won the game in dramatic fashion.
Nguyen Thuy Linh is Vietnamese badminton’s best hope at the 33rd Southeast Asian Games.
In conversation with a reporter from Thanh Nien said Ngo Trung Dung, head coach of the Vietnamese national badminton team: “For Thuy Linh herself, the pressure is enormous. Linh is one of the athletes who is used by the coaching staff in both singles and doubles. Linh was a little nervous in the first set, but then she and the coaching team mastered the game and won the game. To be honest, Linh has already won many games after being behind. She has also had this in the past against the world’s best athletes done.”
Nguyen Thuy Linh’s performance was not enough to lead the Vietnamese women’s badminton team to the semifinals; they lost to Malaysia 1:3. But the Vietnamese badminton team’s journey is not over yet. The Vietnamese players are now fully focused on the men’s and women’s singles competitions. Four Vietnamese badminton players will take part in the singles competition: Le Duc Phat and Nguyen Hai Dang (men) and Nguyen Thuy Linh and Tran Thi Phuong Thuy (women).
Unfortunately, Phuong Thuy was injured during training on the afternoon of December 6th. For this reason, she was unable to take part in the singles match in the women’s team competition yesterday morning (December 7th), which disrupted the coaching team’s plans. Hopefully Phuong Thuy will be fit and able to play by the women’s singles competition on December 11th. The men’s singles competition also begins on December 11th. According to the head coach of the Vietnamese team, the opponents of the Vietnamese tennis players in the individual competition will not be determined until December 10th. “In the women’s individual competition, coaches and fans are also counting on Nguyen Thuy Linh. As for the men’s individual competition, the Southeast Asian Games arena gathers most of the world’s best athletes. However, the two Vietnamese athletes, Le Duc Phat and Nguyen Hai Dang, will give their best,” said coach Ngo Trung Dung.
Nguyen Thuy Linh is currently one of the badminton players who is considered a medal candidate for Vietnam at this regional sports festival. The 28-year-old athlete is at the peak of her career and is consistently performing well. In 2025, the Phu Tho native reached the women’s singles final of the World Tour Super 300 tournament organized by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) four times. She also climbed to number 17 in the world rankings for the first time in her career and celebrated impressive victories against strong opponents. In Southeast Asia, Nguyen Thuy Linh is currently ranked 22nd in the world, behind athletes such as Pornpawee Chochuwong (Thailand, No. 6), Ratchanok Intanon (Thailand, No. 8), Mariska Tunjung (Indonesia, No. 10), Supanida Katethong (Thailand, No. 12), Busanan Ongbamrungphan (Thailand, No. 15) and Yeo Jia Min (Singapore, 18th place).
Those: https://thanhnien.vn/hoi-hop-cho-nguyen-thuy-linh-the-hien-ban-linh-canh-trang-huy-chuong-sea-games-185251207224403561.htm
