SEA Games

HÀ NỘI — Hà Nội held a ceremony on Wednesday to commend and reward coaches and athletes who achieved outstanding results at the 33rd SEA Games in Thailand.

The event witnessed the attendance of nearly 300 coaches and athletes from the city's sports delegation.

According to Director of the municipal Department of Culture and Sports Phạm Tuấn Long, the city contributed 210 members to the Vietnamese team, including 169 athletes, who competed in 30 of the 50 sports on offer, from archery, shooting and table tennis to football, handball, basketball, boxing, swimming, badminton, weightlifting, athletics, rowing, golf, judo, jujitsu, karate, kickboxing, taekwondo and tennis.

Addressing the event, Long praised the efforts of the city’s coaches and athletes, significantly contributing to the Vietnamese delegation’s success, which saw the country finish among the top three at the Games. Hà Nội athletes alone secured 79 medals: 29 gold, 23 silver and 27 bronze, accounting for 33.3 per cent of Việt Nam’s total 87 gold medals.

Veteran gymnast Đinh Phương Thành, representing Hà Nội, said: “Born in Hà Nội, I have always dreamed of becoming an athlete representing my city. This dream has been nurtured by Hà Nội, enabling me to achieve many successes at international competitions. Most recently at the SEA Games 33, I won a gold medal in the parallel bars and a bronze medal in the horizontal bar.”

 

Dương Hoàng Long, head coach of the Vietnamese karate team, affirmed that the recent successes of Hà Nội's karate athletes are the result of systematic and professional attention and investment from the city. At the Games, Hà Nội’s karate athletes contributed three of six gold medals, playing a crucial role in Việt Nam's leading position in the overall medal standings.

Vice Chairwoman of the Hà Nội People's Committee Vũ Thu Hà emphasised that citizens across the country, particularly in Hà Nội, are moved and proud to celebrate the achievements of the Vietnamese sports delegation during the 33rd SEA Games. Hà Nội significantly contributed to this success, accounting for 33.3 per cent of the total medals, with many athletes and sports disciplines achieving outstanding results.

"The achievements of Hà Nội’s sports at the 33rd Games are well-deserved rewards for the hard work and determination of our coaches and athletes. They reflect the support and encouragement from families and loved ones as well as the strategic leadership and investment from Hà Nội in the development of sports, especially high-performance athletics over the years," she said.

She noted that the city has allocated resources and invested in training facilities and equipment that meet international standards. Furthermore, mechanisms and policies are in place to support and reward coaches and athletes and to facilitate training and competition opportunities in countries with advanced sports systems.

In particular, Hà Nội has adopted a policy to increase the use of foreign experts to train athletes directly. These initiatives demonstrate the capital's commitment to investing in sports aligned with ASIAD and Olympic standards, using the SEA Games as a foundation for future continental and global competition.

During the ceremony, Hà Nội leaders announced and awarded VNĐ3 billion (US$114,000) to the Hà Nội sports delegation at the 33rd SEA Games. They also awarded VNĐ1 billion ($38,000) to the national U22 football team for their decisive championship victory at the Games. VNS