Vietnamese sports closed 2025 with the SEA Games 33 arena in 3rd place overall. This result reflects the stable professional level of national teams in the context of increasingly fierce regional competition.
Some disciplines that have not met expectations such as weightlifting, archery, judo, cycling, tennis and table tennis need to be deeply analyzed about the training cycle, successor forces and competition strategies.
Head of the Vietnamese sports delegation Nguyen Hong Minh said that after the Games, the sports sector will conduct detailed assessments of each team to draw experience from practice.
Deputy Head of Delegation Hoang Quoc Vinh affirmed that the direction is to continue investing in key sports groups to improve achievements in the regional and continental arenas. This is the basis for seeing SEA Games 33 as a strategic review milestone rather than a single measure.
The highlight of SEA Games 33 lies in the appearance of young athletes on many fronts. Athletics includes Nguyen Thi Ngoc (2002) winning a gold medal in the women's 400m; Ta Ngoc Tuong (2005) winning a silver medal in the 400m and participating in the gold medal in the 4x400m medley relay. Le Thi Cam Tu (2005) winning a silver medal in the 200m and breaking the national record. Bui Thi Kim Anh (2006) winning a gold medal in the high jump...
In the Olympic sports group, Do Thi Anh Nguyet (2001) continues to be a pillar of archery; Trinh Thu Vinh (2000) shines in shooting with 4 gold medals and 3 SEA Games records.
In swimming, Nguyen Huy Hoang (2000) won many gold medals at SEA Games 33 and other achievements at the 2025 Asian Championships. Vo Thi My Tien (2005) had a successful Games with 9 medals; Tran Hoang Khoi (2009) won the SEA Games 33 bowling championship...
In parallel with achievements, the sustainable development problem for the youth force sets requirements for management and competition roadmap. Sustainable development cannot stop at the goal of medals, but needs synchronization between professional training, psychological management and sports science.
Unlike previous stages, the current transition process is built in a continuous direction. Veteran athletes have not completely withdrawn, continue to compete and create standards for the next generation. This approach helps shorten the time to accumulate experience and reduce pressure when entering the big playground. However, the sufficient condition still lies in the ability to maintain form, competitive bravery and psychological stability of each individual.
SEA Games 33 shows positive signs of the rejuvenation strategy. To turn signals into a long-term foundation, Vietnamese sports need to continue to invest in key training centers, upgrade facilities; apply data analysis technology, AI and VR; strengthen sports science and medicine on rehabilitation, nutrition and doping prevention according to international standards.
These are necessary tasks for young athletes to develop depth, ensure inheritance and improve achievements in the following cycles.
