The 2026 Southeast Asian Open Water Swimming Championships opened on August 21st in the Philippines.
On the first day of competition, Vietnamese swimmers won 3 gold medals.
In the men's 10km championship event, 2 athletes Cao Van Dung and Do Ngoc Vinh both started and led the competition right when they got into the water.
At the end of the race, athlete Do Ngoc Vinh finished first with a result of 1 hour 58 minutes 30.05 seconds to get a gold medal.
Teammate Cao Van Dung finished second, receiving a silver medal with a time of 2 hours 0 minutes 15.85 seconds.
After this result, the Vietnamese swimming team won another gold medal in the women's 10km event for the age group 18-19.
The person who brought victory to the Vietnamese swimming team was athlete Nguyen Kha Nhi. The female athlete from Ho Chi Minh City excellently finished first with a result of 2 hours 18 minutes 29 seconds.
This is the 2nd time in her career that Nguyen Kha Nhi has participated in the Southeast Asian Open Water Swimming Championships. Last year, she competed at the tournament and won a gold medal in the 4x1. 500m mixed men's and women's relay.
The 3rd gold medal of the Vietnamese swimming team on the opening day belonged to young face Le Huynh Tu Uyen.
She finished first in the women's 10km 16-17 age group event with a time of 2 hours 19 minutes 26.93 seconds.
On the same day of competition, the Vietnamese swimming team also won a silver medal in the men's 10km event for the age group 16-17 by Tran Gia Phuc and a silver medal in the women's 10km event for the age group 16-17 by Phan Thi Thuy An.
In this tournament, the Vietnamese swimming team registered 9 athletes to compete.
