In the journey of building and developing Vietnamese sports, swimming is one of the basic Olympic sports that clearly reflects the systematic investment process, international integration and gradually raising the level of high-performance sports.
From a modest starting point in terms of training conditions, force and facilities, Vietnamese swimming has gradually affirmed its position in Southeast Asia, while also making a mark in the continental arena.
Imprints from region to continent
For many years, the SEA Games has been an important arena to help Vietnamese swimming affirm its position. Faces like Hoang Quy Phuoc or Nguyen Thi Anh Vien once created a period of outstanding development, contributing to making swimming one of the sports contributing stable medals for the Vietnamese sports delegation.
Nguyen Thi Anh Vien is a typical athlete of Vietnamese swimming in the period of strong integration, when she continuously won many gold medals at the SEA Games, contributing to raising Vietnamese swimming's position in the region.
The success of this generation shows the effectiveness of the key investment model, including sending athletes to long-term training abroad.
In the ASIAD arena - where the professional level is much higher than in the region, Vietnamese swimming marked an important milestone with Nguyen Huy Hoang's achievement at ASIAD 2018 when he won 1 silver and 1 bronze medals.
This is the best achievement in the history of Vietnamese swimming in the continental arena, opening up prospects for competition in long-distance events - a direction suitable for the physical condition of Vietnamese athletes.
In recent years, Vietnamese swimming has continued to maintain stable achievements at the SEA Games with the contribution of athletes such as Nguyen Huy Hoang, Tran Hung Nguyen or Pham Thanh Bao, contributing to maintaining the leading position in Southeast Asia.
Towards the Olympics from a young investment platform
As a basic sport in the Olympic program, swimming has always been identified as one of the key contents of Vietnamese high-performance sports.
In recent Olympics, Vietnamese athletes have maintained their presence in swimming, in which Nguyen Huy Hoang is a typical representative participating in the Tokyo and Paris Olympics.
Although not yet winning an Olympic medal, maintaining a spot in the world's highest arena shows that Vietnamese swimming is gradually narrowing the professional gap with the region and continent.
A positive point in the current development strategy is the appearance of young athletes such as Vo Thi My Tien, Nguyen Thuy Hien or Nguyen Quang Thuan.
This is considered an important successor force, creating depth for the national team in the transition period after the Anh Vien generation.
In parallel with that, the youth training system in localities continues to be maintained, contributing to discovering and fostering talents early.
Strengthening international competition, improving training conditions and long-term investment orientation are considered important factors helping Vietnamese swimming aim to improve achievements at ASIAD and the Olympics in the next development stage of the country's sports.
