At the 20th Asian Games (ASIAD 2026), the Vietnamese sports delegation secured significant breakthroughs in sepak takraw, archery, and beach volleyball, highlighted by a gold medal in women’s sepak takraw that ended a two-decade title drought at the continental games.
Sepak Takraw Secures Historic Women’s Gold
The standout performance for Vietnam arrived on the sepak takraw court, where the women’s sepak takraw team captured the nation’s second gold medal of the games. According to official tournament coverage, the victory marked the first time in 20 years that Vietnamese women’s sepak takraw reached the top of the ASIAD podium. Facing the Philippines in the final, the Vietnamese squad seized control early by winning the opening set 15-8. Maintaining offensive pressure and a resilient defensive block in the second set, the team built a 6-1 advantage before closing out a 15-5 victory to seal a 2-0 sweep. The roster comprising Nguyen Thi Khanh Ly, Le Thi Hong Lien, and Nguyen Thi Thu Trang propelled the program to gold following a demanding tournament path. After dropping their group-stage opener to Laos, the team bounced back with wins over Myanmar and Malaysia, followed by a 2-0 victory against South Korea in the semifinals.
Men’s Regu and Archery Progress in Knockout Rounds
In the men’s regu competition, the captained trio of Nguyen Van Nhan, Ngo Thanh Long, and Luong Cong Minh advanced through the preliminary stages by defeating Myanmar in straight sets (15-5, 15-13), securing a semifinal berth. The team ultimately claimed a bronze medal after falling to Thailand in the semifinals. Archery competitors also advanced deep into the tournament bracket. Dang Cong Duc and Le Thuy Phuong Nhi overcame their Iranian opponents 6-2 to advance to the quarterfinals of the mixed recurve doubles. In the mixed compound archery event, Nguyen Hoang Phi Vu and Loc Thi Dao defeated a pair from Bhutan 158-150 to secure their own quarterfinal qualification.
Beach Volleyball and Shooting Standouts
Additional successes emerged on the sand and at the shooting range. In beach volleyball, the men’s pair of Nguyen Lam Toi and Nguyen Van Viet opened Group C play with a 2-0 victory over Mongolia, taking both sets by identical 21-13 margins. On the shooting range, Trinh Thu Vinh posted a strong score in the women’s 25m slow fire pistol qualification. After three rounds yielding 95, 99, and 97 points respectively, Thu Vinh totaled 291 points to sit in third place ahead of the rapid-fire round.
Contested Bouts and Knockout Defeats
Despite the medal breakthroughs, the delegation faced multiple setbacks across various disciplines. In badminton, the men’s doubles pair of Nguyen Dinh Hoang and Tran Dinh Manh exited in the quarterfinals following a 6-21, 10-21 defeat against their Indonesian opponents. The men’s sepak takraw team also dropped a 0-2 decision to Malaysia (9-15, 15-17), marking their second loss in pool play. In archery team events, both the women’s recurve squad—consisting of Le Thuy Phuong Nhi, Le Pham Ngoc Anh, and Nguyen Thi Thanh Thao—and the men’s team were eliminated in the quarterfinals after narrow losses to China and Chinese Taipei, respectively. Combat sports brought further hurdles as kurash competitors Pham Nguyen Hong Mo and Nguyen Thi Huong suffered early exits in their respective weight categories. Meanwhile, the men’s volleyball team opened Group C play with a 0-3 loss against India.
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