On the afternoon of September 22, Nguyen Ngoc Tram, Bui Ngoc Nhi and Hoang Thi Thu Uyen excellently defeated Iran 5-0 in the women's team kata final to bring home the first gold medal for the Vietnamese sports delegation at ASIAD 20.
This is also the event Vietnam once won at ASIAD 19 and continued to successfully defend the top spot after 3 years.
On the journey to the gold medal, the Vietnamese girls successively overcame Nepal in the quarterfinals, Taiwan (China) in the semi-finals and Iran in the championship match. All 3 matches ended with a score of 5-0.
The victory over Taiwan (China) is one of the most significant challenges. The opponent once won third place in Asia and had about 3 months of training in Japan before ASIAD 20. Meanwhile, the Vietnamese team only had 2 short training sessions in Japan at the beginning of the year and in August in Osaka.
In the championship squad in Japan, Nguyen Ngoc Tram is the most experienced member in the ASIAD arena. At Hangzhou in 2023, she, along with Nguyen Thi Phuong and Luu Thi Thu Uyen, defeated Malaysia to win a women's team kata gold medal. That was also the first time Tram stood on the highest podium at the Asian Games.
After that, the female martial artist born in 2002 continued to maintain her position in the main squad of Vietnamese karate. At SEA Games 33, Ngoc Tram, along with Hoang Thi Thu Uyen and Nguyen Thi Phuong, successfully defended the gold medal against the host team Thailand.
In 2025, she continued to participate in the Vietnamese team to win a gold medal in this event at the Asian Karate Championships.
After contributing to national sports, Nguyen Ngoc Tram was recruited into the Public Security sector.
In a previous conversation with Lao Dong, Ngoc Tram shared: "Many people say that girls come to sports and have to sacrifice many things. I myself also felt disadvantaged somewhere in the past, compared to my peers.
Every time I achieve success, for me, the greatest value is not necessarily bonuses or medals, but the happiness of being recognized, appreciated and supported by loved ones.
I am happy that my family accompanies me step by step in my career. I am proud that my friends respect my contributions to the country's sports. And I also feel proud when a stranger recognizes and admires the success I have contributed.
That is an intangible value but creates great motivation for us female athletes to try harder than ourselves yesterday.
If Ngoc Tram brought the experience of an ASIAD champion, Bui Ngoc Nhi entered this year's Games as a rookie.
In the individual kata event, Ngoc Nhi lost to Maho Ono of Japan 0-5 in the first round. However, she defeated Choi Haeun of South Korea 5-0 in the repechage round, before overcoming Leong Wai Yee Shannon of Singapore 4-1 to bring home a bronze medal.
Hoang Thi Thu Uyen is the remaining member of the women's karate team. She has competed with Ngoc Tram at many major tournaments, including SEA Games 33. This pair and Nguyen Thi Phuong won a women's team kata gold medal in Thailand. Thu Uyen also participated in the Vietnamese team that won this event at the 2025 Asian karate tournament.
