Vietnam sports review 2025

Shooting: Trinh Thu Vinh stands out

Shooting returned to the SEA Games program in 2025, and Vietnam finished top of the discipline's medal table with eight gold medals. 

Trinh Thu Vinh, born in 2000, won four golds, the highest total for any Vietnamese athlete at the SEA Games, and set three SEA Games records.

Beyond the regional event, Trinh Thu Vinh also won a bronze medal at the 2025 Asian Shooting Championships and a gold medal at the Asian Rifle/Pistol Cup 2025.

Women's volleyball makes progress

The Vietnamese women's volleyball team delivered one of its strongest seasons to date. 

The team won the AVC Nations Cup and finished runner-up at the VTV Cup, while also recording a historic 3–2 comeback win over Thailand in the second leg of the Southeast Asian Volleyball League, the first victory over its regional rival in official competition.

At the SEA Games final, Vietnam pushed host Thailand to a deciding fifth set before losing 23–25, a performance that suggested a narrowing gap between the two teams.

Track and field shows depth

Vietnam entered the SEA Games with a younger athletics squad, featuring many athletes born after 2000, and met its target of 12 gold medals, the highest total among all Vietnamese sports at the Games.

Several young athletes produced notable results, including high jumper Bui Thi Kim Anh, who cleared 1.86 meters, and strong performances in the women's 4x400 meters relay and mixed 4x400 meters relay.

Veteran runner Nguyen Thi Oanh remained a key figure, winning three gold medals and bringing her SEA Games career total to 15, placing her among the most successful athletes in the competition's athletics history. 

Quach Thi Lan also returned to form, winning the women's 400-meter hurdles.

Sepak takraw gains ground

Vietnam's sepak takraw teams made significant progress in the four-a-side format, a relatively new event traditionally dominated by Thailand. 

The women's team won both the World Cup and World Championship titles in 2025, though they missed out on gold at the SEA Games. 

The men's four-a-side team struck gold at the SEA Games after defeating Myanmar in the finale.

The results underlined the four-a-side event as a growing strength for Vietnam in the sport.

Looking ahead

While not all results met expectations, Vietnam's performances in 2025 provided a foundation for further development, with attention now turning to preparations for major multi-sport events in 2026, including the Asian Games in Japan.