The 33rd SEA Games is approaching and Vietnamese sports put their trust in young players at this Games, with the goal of rejuvenating the force and creating a stepping stone for the future.
Notable in this group is Hoang Thanh Giang - a female track and field athlete born in 2001, who was successful in the long jump event before switching to 7 combined events. From the milestone of winning the national gold medal in 2023, she has gradually improved her achievements and comprehensively developed in many technical groups.
In 2024, despite having to suffer injuries to her knee and heel, Thanh Giang still won the national championship with more than 5,300 points. In the 2025 season, she continued to make her mark with 5,481 points, surpassing the old record of her senior Nguyen Linh Na and becoming a strong candidate for a medal at the upcoming SEA Games.
This achievement is even higher than the gold medal score at the 32nd SEA Games, showing that Thanh Giang can completely compete for the highest position if it maintains its progress.
Along with athletics, the Vietnam green race also witnessed the breakthrough of Nguyen Thuy Hien. Over the past two years, the female swimmer born in 2009 has continuously shined at Southeast Asian youth tournaments, bringing home 7 gold medals and breaking 4 age group records.
The progress in the international arena and regular competition in the country help Thuy Hien improve her performance, becoming one of the key faces invested towards the 33rd SEA Games. At the age of 16, Thuy Hien is expected to inherit the top form that her senior Anh Vien created for Vietnamese swimming.
Meanwhile, in table tennis, young tennis player Tran Mai Ngoc continues to affirm her maturity after the memorable 32nd SEA Games, where she and Dinh Anh Hoang brought home the historic gold medal in the mixed-women doubles event.
Returning to the national tournament, Mai Ngoc continuously won medals in the women's doubles, mixed doubles and women's singles events. The gold medal in women's singles at the 2025 Best Tennis Tournament shows the significant progress of young tennis players, ready to compete with veteran seniors such as Mai Hoang My Trang or Nguyen Khoa Dieu Khanh.
The experience accumulated through each tournament and being sent to train abroad helps Tran Mai Ngoc become more confident and resilient, becoming a great hope in the journey to regain the position of Vietnamese table tennis in the regional arena.
Duong Thi Thao - a high- jump athlete born in 2006 also received expectations. The 1m84 achievement she achieved at the 2025 national championship attracted attention, when it far exceeded the bar to win the gold medal at the 32nd SEA Games (1m79). Thao's confidence, stability and ability to continuously surpass the threshold proves that she is on the right development path to be able to break through at the 33rd Southeast Asian Games.
Overall, the young generation of Vietnamese athletes are entering a period of transformation. Not only Mai Ngoc, Thanh Giang, Thuy Hien or Duong Thi Thao... young athletes in other sports are also trying every day to bring medals to Vietnamese sports at the 33rd SEA Games.
