The 33rd SEA Games will take place in Thailand in December. Table Tennis continues to be one of the sports expected to bring medals to Vietnamese sports.
In the previous 4 consecutive SEA Games, the Vietnamese table tennis team all contributed to Vietnam's gold medal group. Therefore, at the 2025 Congress, the Vietnam Table Tennis Federation reported to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Vietnam Department of Physical Education and Sports on the target of striving to win 1-2 gold medals.
Currently, table tennis tournaments are taking place enthusiastically. This will be a personnel test for the team to find the best faces. One of them is the 43rd National Table Tennis Championship of Nhan Dan Newspaper.
Speaking to Lao Dong, Mr. Phan Anh Tuan - General Secretary of the Vietnam Table Tennis Federation said that tournaments such as the National Championship of Nhan Dan Newspaper are one of the stepping steps for Vietnamese table tennis to accelerate, preparing for the 33rd SEA Games.
This time is considered a key stage in the process of preparing the force, upgrading the squad as well as aiming to win 1 to 2 gold medals.
"The 43rd Nhan Dan Newspaper National Table Tennis Championship has entered the 4th day of competition. This is a playground that gathers almost all of the strongest players in Vietnamese table tennis.
Units such as Hanoi, Hanoi Police T&T, Army, Hai Duong have all sent key forces to participate, after having spent time training in China. This can be considered an important personnel review before the SEA Games," Mr. Tuan shared.
After this tournament, the national team will officially gather in June, with the best players called up. From now until the 33rd SEA Games, there are about 6 months to prepare.
The department has advised the Vietnam Department of Physical Education and Sports, in coordination with the Vietnam Table Tennis Federation, to plan for the team to have a training period of 1.5 to 2 months in China.
Being trained in a country with a world-class table tennis background before entering the 33rd SEA Games helps athletes improve their competitive spirit and perfect their tactics.
Mr. Phan Anh Tuan assessed: "At the regional level, Vietnamese table tennis is still maintaining its position in the top 4 of Southeast Asia. The proof is that in 2024, female tennis player Nguyen Khoa Dieu Khanh excellently won the gold medal at the Southeast Asian Championship in Thailand.
Meanwhile, at the recent youth championship held in Indonesia, the Vietnamese team also won 1 gold medal and 5 bronze medals. This is an optimistic signal for the future of the team.
In terms of force, we have a generation of talented athletes who are persistent in training and have stable performance. Therefore, Vietnamese table tennis can completely compete for medals at the Congress taking place at the end of this year".
According to Mr. Tuan, Vietnamese table tennis currently has many promising faces. In the men's event, there are Nguyen Anh Tu (Hanoi), Dinh Anh Hoang (CAND - T&T), Nguyen Duc Tuan (Hai Duong), Nguyen Dang Hiep...
Some young athletes in the men's event are Nguyen Hoang Lam (Army), Nguyen Duy Phong (Hai Duong)...
For the women's event, the top names are still Nguyen Khoa Dieu Khanh (HCMC), Tran Mai Ngoc (CAND - T&T), Nguyen Thi Nga (Hanoi), Nguyen Bach Thanh Thu and Mai Hoang My Trang (HCMC).
Young people such as Bui Ngoc Lan (Hai Duong), Nguyen Thi Xuan Mai (HCMC) or U15 athletes such as Do Le Van Chi (Lam Dong), Le Hoang Linh Dan (Dong Nai) are also expected to be the future of the national team.
With careful preparation, a systematic training schedule and a squad of many promising faces, Vietnamese table tennis is gradually consolidating its regional position, ready to aim for exciting competitions to realize the goal of winning gold at the 33rd SEA Games.
