Vietnam at Asian Games 2026: Chasing a 5-Gold Rebound
After medals dropped from 39 in 2018 to 27 in 2023, Vietnam has set an official target of 5 golds at Aichi-Nagoya, backed by new funding and a sharper focus on 7 priority sports. Here’s what’s confirmed so far.
Vietnam’s Asian Games Track Record
Vietnam’s medal count and gold total both dropped sharply between 2018 and 2023 — a decline officials attribute partly to pencak silat, its biggest 2018 medal source, being off the 2022 program.
| Edition | Rank | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 Jakarta-Palembang | 16th | 5 | 15 | 19 | 39 |
| 2022/23 Hangzhou | 21st | 3 | 5 | 19 | 27 |
Source: Vietnam at the 2018 Asian Games and Vietnam at the 2022 Asian Games, Wikipedia.
Vietnam’s Strongest Sports
Karate, sepak takraw, wushu, athletics (especially long jump and sprints), rowing, weightlifting, and pencak silat/martial arts generally have been Vietnam’s most reliable medal sources when the sport is on the program. Vietnam’s Sports Department has formally named 7 priority “medal target” sports for 2026: shooting, weightlifting, karate, taekwondo, boxing, badminton, and track-and-field, with archery, cycling, rowing, swimming, and gymnastics as secondary investment sports.
Vietnam’s Official Squads by Sport
Vietnam’s Sports Department had not released a complete finalized athlete roster as of this research, roughly five weeks before the Games, but several sport-specific squads have been named individually.
Confirmed via official federation/media sources
| Sport | Key Named Athletes | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Golf | Men: Nguyễn Anh Minh, Nguyễn Tuấn Anh, Lê Khánh Hưng. Women: Lê Chúc An, Nguyễn Viết Gia Hân, Lê Nguyễn Minh Anh | Confirmed |
| Football (Men’s, expanded 29-man prep squad) | Led by coach Kim Sang Sik, incl. Thanh Nhàn, Quốc Việt, Cao Văn Bình; drawn in a group with Uzbekistan, Philippines, Kuwait | Confirmed |
| Taekwondo | Châu Tuyết Vân and Lê Thanh Trung qualified via Asian Championships poomsae bronzes; 8 total spots secured (2 poomsae, 6 kyorugi) | Confirmed |
| Football (Women’s) | Drawn into the toughest group with hosts Japan, Thailand, and Chinese Taipei; player roster not yet named | Team Confirmed |
Reported but not yet formally finalized
| Sport | Notes |
|---|---|
| Shooting | Trịnh Thu Vinh and Phạm Quang Huy (Paris Olympics medalists) and Nguyễn Thúy Trang (Asian Championships gold) are framed as ASIAD “dark horses” in national media, but not yet formally confirmed. |
| Swimming | Nguyễn Huy Hoàng (400/800/1500m free) and Trần Hùng Nguyên are named as expected core team members in preview coverage. |
| Wushu | Star medalist Dương Thúy Vi is named as an expected core member, but no formal roster confirmed. |
| Athletics | Long jumper Hà Thị Thúy Hằng and distance runner Nguyễn Thị Oanh are named in preview coverage, though Oanh’s recent “empty-handed” result at a 2026 Asian meet raises questions about her form. |
| Boxing | Nguyễn Huyền Trân and Phạm Thị Quỳnh Anh are Vietnam’s top current boxers and tipped for selection, but confirmed only for Asian Championship entry, not the Games. |
Team confirmed, no roster yet / not found
| Sports |
|---|
| Karate, Sepak Takraw, Rowing/Canoeing, Wrestling, Fencing, Badminton, Archery, Cycling, Gymnastics, Esports |
Storylines to Watch
A 5-gold rebound target. After winning just 3 golds in 2022, officials have set a target of at least 5 golds for 2026, with longer-term goals of 6 by 2030 and 7 by 2034 — a real “can they turn it around” storyline.
Women’s football’s tough draw. Drawn into the toughest group alongside hosts Japan, Thailand, and Chinese Taipei, while the men’s U23 team received a far more favorable draw — a notable contrast in difficulty between Vietnam’s two football teams.
Nguyễn Thị Oanh’s form questions. Vietnam’s most decorated SEA Games athlete reportedly went “empty-handed” at a February 2026 Asian meet, raising questions about whether she can deliver at the Games.
New investment in sports science. Vietnam has raised daily athlete food allowances, introduced new coach and athlete stipends, and rolled out a “Performance Readiness Index” monitoring system across 6 sports — a data-driven push behind the medal target.