Pencak Silat 

Việt Nam will send its strongest fighters to compete in the 2026 Southeast Asian Pencak Silat Championship in September in HCM City. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — The 2026 Southeast Asian Pencak Silat Championship will be held from September 22 to 29 in HCM City.

The eight-day martial arts tournament will take place at the Rạch Miễu Gymnasium, featuring hundreds of participants from every country in Southeast Asia.

Martial artists will vie for medals in nine weight categories for women ranging from 45kg to 85kg and 11 weight categories for men ranging from 45kg to 95kg. There will be two open events for both genders. Open 1 is for men under 110k and women under 100kg, and Open 2 is for men over 110kg and women over 100kg.

In the performance discipline, martial artists will compete in four categories each for men and women.

Last year, Việt Nam secured three gold, three silver and four bronze medals to finish second in the medal tally. Thailand claimed the top spot on the podium with five golds, while Malaysia finished third.

This year, reigning Vietnamese champions Nguyễn Đức Hậu (men's 45kg), Nguyễn Chính Nghĩa (men's 60kg) and Võ Thanh Hiếu (men's 65kg) are set to defend their titles, while other fighters are expected to improve their results.

Việt Nam recently hosted the 2026 Asian Pencak Silat Championships in July in Đồng Nai. The host side bagged 16 golds to hold the top position.

According to the national team's coaches, the Asian champions will also fight for their honour at the regional tournament. — VNS