Yet beyond the medals, the tournament offered invaluable experience as the team gears up for the 33rd SEA Games later this year.
“There were 14 events in total, and we won eight of them. Each result reflects the athletes’ hard work, but we must recognize that this championship was a testing ground for all Southeast Asian teams preparing for the 33rd SEA Games. Every team had its own strategy. For us, the priority was accumulating experience for our lifters here in Singapore,” said Mr. Nguyen Huy Hung, the team leader of the Vietnamese delegation.
For this championship, the Vietnamese coaching staff fielded lifters aligned with the weight classes they will compete in at SEA Games 33. Head Coach Duong Thi Ngoc previously emphasized that the main goal was to assess athletes’ technical readiness and provide them with competitive exposure.
On the competition platform in Singapore, Vietnam’s well-known lifters such as Tran Minh Tri, Pham Thi Hong Thanh, Tran Dinh Thang, Nguyen Quoc Toan, Lam Thi My Le, and Nguyen Quang Truong all delivered gold medal-winning performances. However, the number of participants per weight category remained limited, as teams across the region were clearly observing each other’s capabilities rather than revealing their own strengths.
“Countries like Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Singapore sent moderately strong squads. Their key lifters were mostly absent. Vietnam’s team also followed a strategy designed to avoid revealing technical details,” Mr. Nguyen Huy Hung added.
Speaking from Singapore, weightlifter Tran Minh Tri shared that competing in both the 2025 Asian Championships and the Southeast Asian Championships in close succession has bolstered his confidence. “I’m here to find the right rhythm and mindset for competition. This is still the buildup phase, and the coaching staff is carefully planning for us to peak at SEA Games 33-2025,” he said. Tri clinched gold in the men’s 71kg category with a total lift of 308kg—an outcome intentionally aligned with his personal tactical plan.
While Vietnam entered the 2025 Southeast Asian Championships with a clear focus on technical assessment and scouting, once on the platform, every athlete remained composed and fully executed the lifts pre-determined in their training plans.
