Vietnam’s martial arts continue elite streak at SEA Games 33

Vietnam delivered a historic karate performance at the 33rd Southeast Asian Games by finishing first in the discipline after securing six gold medals during four days of competition in Thailand earlier this month. The results placed Vietnam atop the karate medal table on gold count and completed an unprecedented hat-trick following its successes at SEA Games 31 and 32.

Combat sports drive medal impact: In addition to the six gold medals, Vietnam’s karate team collected three silver and two bronze during bouts held in Bangkok from Dec. 11 to Dec. 14. The team finished ahead of Thailand in the karate standings despite both teams matching each other in total medals. Titles were claimed across kumite and kata in both individual and team events to demonstrate depth across weight classes and competitive formats. Vietnamese athletes in martial arts such as wushu and pencak silat have also advanced to finals and secured podium finishes to add to the country’s medal total as competition continues through Dec. 21.

Vietnam on the rise: While Japan and South Korea have historically set the Asian benchmark in karate and taekwondo, martial arts in Southeast Asia have long been shaped by established strengths. Thailand typically excels in striking disciplines while Indonesia maintains dominance in pencak silat. Vietnam’s repeated success at recent SEA Games signals a narrowing competitive gap ahead of higher-level competition, including the 20th Asian Games in Japan next year.

As of this writing, Vietnam currently sits in third place with a total of 275 medals including 86 golds, trailing only the host nation Thailand with its commanding 232 golds and second-place Indonesia with 91 golds.