State President Võ Văn Thưởng awards the Labour Medals to athletes of note from the SEA Games 32. — VNA/VNS Photos Thống Nhất

HÀ NỘI — State President Võ Văn Thưởng praised more than 100 athletes and coaches of the Việt Nam Sports Delegation at the SEA Games 32 during a meeting in Hà Nội on May 23.

Also attending the meeting were Deputy Prime Minister Trần Hồng Hà and Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyễn Văn Hùng.

The President said that through this year’s SEA Games, the Vietnamese delegation showed the spirit of Việt Nam to compete with nobility, solidarity, and purity to achieve miraculous results, leaving many good impressions in the hearts of international friends.

The president awarded the second-class Labour Medal to track and field athlete Nguyễn Thị Oanh, who won four golds in running over five days, and gave 37 third-class Labour Medals to other athletes who achieved exceptional achievements in the regional biggest sports event, which was hosted by Cambodia.

State President Võ Văn Thưởng presents the second-class Labour Medal to Nguyễn Thị Oanh.

The 32nd SEA Games was considered the most successful event for Việt Nam as the delegation topped the medal tally in an away tournament.

Despite many challenges and difficulties, Vietnamese athletes took 136 golds, 105 silvers and 114 bronzes and set 14 Games records.

It was the first time Việt Nam led the medal tally of the Games for two editions in a row.

The achievements and glory of the Vietnamese team are also the common joy, honour and pride of the people, the country, and the country's sports.

Sharing the joy and pride of being honoured to wear the jerseys of the Vietnamese national teams, the coaches and athletes expressed their determination, promised to practice hard, and strived to overcome difficulties to maintain and improve achievements in the next competitions to continue to bring glory to the country.

Head coach of the women's national football team Mai Đức Chung, who led the women's football team to win the right to compete at the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 and helped the team win the SEA Games’ title for the fourth time in a row, thanked the Party and State for their support as well as the companionship of the fans for the national women's football team and the Vietnamese sports delegation.

Chung said the team are determined to have higher achievements in the upcoming tournaments.

Meanwhile, Oanh, the 'golden girl' of Vietnamese athletics, promised to constantly strive to rise, and continue to glorify Việt Nam in international events.

State President Võ Văn Thưởng with athletes and coaches of the Việt Nam Sports Delegation at the SEA Games 32.

Listening to the opinions of coaches and athletes at the meeting, the President emphasised that behind the medals, the victories achieved are stories full of humanity, full of emotions about the process of striving, training, overcoming difficult circumstances as well as the energy, the will to surpass themselves to achieve the highest performance.

The President also said that the Party and State always pay attention to and care for the country's sports cause, including elite sports, giving the best conditions for athletes to practice and compete to improve their results continuously. VNS