In 2025, military officers, referees, coaches and athletes participated in 47 international tournaments, winning a total of 278 medals, including 115 gold, 89 silver and 74 bronze medals. Notable achievements included seven world-level tournaments, 16 Asian-level tournaments, 16 Southeast Asian tournaments, and eight international open competitions.
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General Phan Van Giang, Minister of National Defense, and General Nguyen Trong Nghia, Chief of the General Department of Political Affairs, present the Minister of National Defense’s Certificates of Merit to collectives and individuals at the ceremony. |
At SEA Games 33 held in Thailand, the Vietnamese Sports Delegation won 278 medals in total and broke six Games records. For this event, the military sports delegation contributed 85 personnel, including three officers, two staff members, three referees, 19 coaches and 58 athletes, who competed in 18 out of 47 sports, contesting 59 medal events. Within the overall achievements of the Vietnamese Sports Delegation, military athletes secured 41 medals, comprising 20 gold, 10 silver and 11 bronze medals, and set three new SEA Games records.
Addressing the ceremony, on behalf of the leadership of the Ministry of National Defense, General Phan Van Giang praised and congratulated the coaches and athletes of the Vietnam People’s Army for their outstanding achievements at SEA Games 33 and international competitions.
To further develop high-performance sports, the Minister of National Defense called on coaches to continue studying to improve their professional expertise and foreign-language proficiency, while implementing scientific training methods. Athletes, he stressed, must train with greater diligence and determination, uphold the tradition of “determination to fight and determination to win” of the Vietnam People’s Army, regularly cultivate their moral qualities, and promote the sporting spirit of solidarity, honesty and fair play in competition.
Functional agencies were urged to study and formulate programs for the development of military physical training and sports in general, and elite sports in particular; to organize a rational system of training centers, delegations, teams and clubs in line with the development of military and national sports; and to focus on sports in which the military has traditional strengths, as well as those included in the Olympics and widely practiced by armed forces around the world.
Special attention should be paid to investment in the training of young talents, the attraction of promising athletes, and the creation of a solid foundation for long-term sports development. Priority investment should also be given to athletes with high professional potential, aiming to reach continental and world-class standards.
The Minister of National Defense emphasized the need to mobilize all resources to prepare favorable conditions for coaches and athletes to train and compete at national tournaments and international events in 2026, while effectively promoting defense diplomacy through sports, thereby enhancing the stature of military sports and Vietnam’s image on the international stage.
On this occasion, nine collectives and 106 individuals were awarded Certificates of Merit by the Minister of National Defense in recognition of their outstanding achievements at SEA Games 33 and international sports competitions in 2025.
Translated by Trung Thanh