Nguyễn Thị Oanh has earned two gold medals at the 33rd SEA Games. — VNA/VNS Photos

THAILAND — Việt Nam’s athletics team delivered a sparkling performance on Monday, claiming a gold hat-trick to boost the Vietnamese sports delegation at the 33rd SEA Games in Thailand.

The three gold medals came courtesy of Quách Thị Lan, Nguyễn Trung Cường and Nguyễn Thị Oanh.

Lan captured gold in her signature event, the women’s 400m hurdles, clocking 56.82 seconds. The win was especially significant as it marked her first individual SEA Games gold and may also be her final appearance at the regional showpiece.

Momentum continued with Trung Cường’s commanding victory in the men’s 3,000m steeplechase. Taking control from the early stages, he opened up a clear gap before finishing in 8:55.32 to successfully defend the title he won at the previous SEA Games.

Shortly afterwards, “track and field queen” Nguyễn Thị Oanh lived up to expectations by dominating the women’s 10,000m. She crossed the line well clear of the field in 34:27.93, securing her second gold medal at these Games and the 14th SEA Games gold of her career.

On the same day, the Vietnamese athletics team also added two silver and two bronze medals to its tally.

Wushu martial artist Nguyễn Thị Thu Thủy (right) celebrates winning gold medal in the women’s 60kg sanda final on Monday.

The wushu competition brought further cheer for Việt Nam, as the country’s martial artists delivered a timely boost by claiming two gold medals on the sixth official day of competition, ending the team’s brief gold-medal drought.

Nguyễn Thị Thu Thủy secured Việt Nam’s first gold of the day with a dominant victory over a Myanmar opponent in the women’s 60kg sanda final. Competing in a three-round bout, Thủy took control from the opening moments and sealed the win in under two minutes of the first round.

Momentum continued in the men’s 70kg sanda final, where Trương Văn Chưởng overpowered his Lao rival 2–0 to add another gold. With these twin triumphs, the Vietnamese wushu team successfully met their medal targets at the Games.

In kickboxing, Bùi Thị Yến Nhi claimed bronze after a narrow 1–2 defeat to a Philippine athlete in the women’s 48kg low kick semi-finals.

Việt Nam also picked up silver medals in other events. In petanque, the women’s trio team lost 7–13 to hosts Thailand in the final. In weightlifting, Nguyễn Thị Thủy Tiên earned silver in the women’s 63kg category, lifting 98kg in the snatch and 121kg in the clean and jerk for a total of 219kg. Gold went to the Philippines’ Ando Elreen Ann with a combined lift of 229kg.

After the day’s competitions, the Vietnamese sports delegation had collected 39 gold, 44 silver and 68 bronze medals, placing third overall. Thailand remain top of the medal table with 144 golds, 87 silvers and 56 bronzes, followed by Indonesia with 52 golds, 64 silvers and 63 bronzes. VNS