Vietnam sports imprint 2022

Vietnam is the best team in SEA Games 31

With 205 gold, 125 silver and 116 bronze medals, Vietnam topped the SEA Games for the second time, after the first time when it was also the host in 2003. Vietnam also broke the gold medal record at the Games, surpassing the achievement of 194 medals. Indonesia's gold in 1997. The difference of 113 gold medals between the top two teams of the 31st SEA Games - Vietnam and Thailand - is also the largest since 2007 at Nakhon Ratchasima.

The "sports queen" of athletics brought the highest achievement for Vietnam with 22 gold medals, 14 silver medals and eight bronze medals. This is the third time in a row that Vietnam has topped the congress in this subject.

Football and handball are two subjects that Vietnam won 100% of gold medals. In the two football finals, Vietnam defeated Thailand 1-0. Huynh Nhu scored the decisive goal in the women's football gold medal match at Cam Pha Stadium, Quang Ninh on the evening of May 21. A day later, it was Nham Manh Dung's turn to create a masterpiece to help Park Hang-seo's teachers and students protect the men's football gold medal.

Vietnamese spectators left a good impression on friends in the region, when they filled the field in many competitions such as basketball or football. Coach Michael Weiss said Laos has never been supported by a neutral audience so much, when playing in the group stage of men's football at Thien Truong Stadium, Nam Dinh. Southeast Asian reporters were also impressed when this stadium was always full of spectators even though there was no host to play.

However, the tournament also left a ripple on doping. A few months after the Games, the host sports delegation received notice that five athletes tested positive for both sample A and sample B with banned substances, including four SEA Games champions. These athletes have not been considered infringing and have not been identified. They will have the right to defend in a hearing before the Southeast Asian Sports Council, about the cause of the test sample positive for banned substances. But the possibility of them being able to reverse the situation is almost non-existent. If they receive a violation conclusion, they will not only be stripped of their medals, but also be banned from competing for a long time.

Before this incident, Vietnam's sports history recorded 19 cases of doping since the 2003 SEA Games. In which, there are some typical cases such as Olympic runner-up Hoang Anh Tuan or gymnastics "doll" Do. Thi Ngan Thuong. However, this period witnessed the most doping cases since 2003. Not to mention, before the Games, the Vietnam Bodybuilding & Weightlifting Federation also detected and banned six athletes who tested positive for banned substances from participating in SEA Games 31.

Vietnam ends the 2022 World Cup final qualifying round

Despite making history when winning against China and drawing with Japan, Vietnam still could not escape the bottom of Group B in the third qualifying round of the 2022 World Cup in Asia. But with four points, Park's teachers and students became the best Southeast Asian team in a World Cup final qualifying round.

Vietnam became the first Southeast Asian team to win a match in the final qualifying round of the World Cup, when they defeated China 3-1 on the first day of the Lunar New Year at My Dinh Stadium. Ho Tan Tai, Nguyen Tien Linh and Phan Van Duc scored for the hosts, respectively, while the away team only recovered one goal in the last minute.

Nearly two months later, Vietnam closed the qualifying round with a 1-1 draw with Japan at Saitama Stadium. Center-back Nguyen Thanh Binh opened the scoring in the first half, before captain Maya Yoshida brought home a point.

At the end of Group B, Saudi Arabia and Japan went straight to the finals, while Australia played two matches to go to Qatar. Japan and Australia then went to the 1/8 round of the World Cup, while Saudi Arabia left the tournament right from the group stage but caused a shock with a victory over Argentina.

Nguyen Quang Hai and Huynh Nhu go abroad to compete

Quang Hai and Huynh Nhu created a historic milestone when they became the first Vietnamese players to sign a contract with a European professional club not on loan.

Quang Hai expired his contract with Hanoi FC on April 12, then officially joined Pau FC in the French second division on the afternoon of June 29 under a two-year contract, choosing to extend for another year. Quang Hai's presence helped Pau's Facebook account follower increase more than 16 times in just 10 days, so that the club rose to third in Ligue 2 on this social network.

The 25-year-old midfielder scored in the first friendly match for Pau, but only started two matches in Ligue 2. Physical and strength barriers made Quang Hai mainly reserve or enter the field in the last minutes. However, he is one of seven Pau players who have scored in the first phase of Ligue 2. Quang Hai's only goal helped Pau set a 2-2 draw against Rodez on October 8.

On August 25, it was Huynh Nhu's turn to dock with Lank Vilaverdense Club at the Portuguese Women's Championship, under a one-year contract with the option to extend for another 12 months.

The captain of the Vietnamese women's team scored twice and created a goal in the first time he started for Lank in the Portuguese tournament, meeting Famalicao on the evening of November 5. Exactly two weeks later, the 31-year-old striker scored twice against AD Ovarense 5-0 in the third round of the Portuguese Cup. Huynh Nhu became the first Vietnamese to receive the "Best Player" award at a European championship.

Aside from personal aspirations, determined to go to Europe in the event of two cases which may refer to as a commitment to the support of Vietnam football. Because there won't be a more confident footing in the Asian team if there's no more successful players in a higher-class environment. Thailand is still confident that they are the number one East East Asia because of what their players did at J-League. Giving out the development of Vietnamese football would be pointless if the players just hang around playing football in the water and the clubs just dive in AFC Cup. Vietnam has had the pioneers, and failed, but that doesn't mean the Vietnamese players aren't qualified to play soccer in Japan or Europe.

Vietnam won the spot for the 2023 Women's World Cup

Huynh Nhu is also an inspiration to help Vietnam attend the World Cup for 11-a-side adult football for the first time. At the 2022 Asian Women's Football Finals and the 2023 World Cup qualifiers, she scored the decisive goal to help Vietnam draw 2-2 with Myanmar in the group stage, to win a place in the quarterfinals.

Despite losing to China in the quarterfinals, Mai Duc Chung's army still competed for tickets to the 2023 World Cup with Taiwan and Thailand in a one-on-three ratio. In the first match, Huynh Nhu opened the scoring to help Vietnam beat Thailand 2-0.

On February 6, 2022 at DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai, India, the Vietnamese women made history in the match against Chinese Taipei. Center-back Chuong Thi Kieu opened the scoring in the seventh minute, before the opponent equalized at the beginning of the second half. In a must-win position, Vietnam completed the goal with Nguyen Thi Bich Thuy's "golden" goal in the 56th minute. Mai Duc Chung's teachers and students won 2-1 and won a place in the 2023 World Cup.

The 2023 World Cup takes place in Australia and New Zealand from July 20 to August 20, with 32 teams divided into eight groups. Vietnam is in Group E with the reigning US champion, the Dutch runner-up and a team that made it through the pick-up round - most likely Portugal.