Vietnamese athletes amassed 29 more gold medals on Sunday, bringing their 31st Southeast Asian (SEA) Games gold tally to 66, helping the hosts stay atop the medal table by the end of the competition day.

The gold medals came from duathlon, wushu, standard chess, blitz chess, dancesport, track and field, gymnastics, swimming, bodybuilding, pétanque, jiu-jitsu, fencing, and e-sport.

Notably, wushu - a hard and soft and complete martial art - contributed seven golds, while dancesport and track and field bagged five each.

At the time of writing on Monday, Vietnam’s medal count has included 66 golds, 46 silvers, and 43 bronzes, which is the leading achievement compared to other sport delegations, according to statistics on the 31st SEA Games’ official website.

Thailand followed behind with 27 golds, 24 silvers, and 42 bronzes, while the Philippines jumped to third place with 20 golds, 27 silvers, and 37 bronzes.

Indonesia fell to No. 4 and Malaysia ranked fifth, while Singapore, Myanmar, Cambodia, Brunei, Laos, and Timor Leste came next in that sequence.

The 31st SEA Games, which boast 526 categories in 40 sports, are currently taking place in Hanoi and 11 neighboring provinces and cities and will run until May 23.

The biennial event was originally scheduled to be held from November 21 to December 2, 2021 but was postponed after Vietnam saw a flare-up of COVID-19 cases in late April the same year.

Over 7,878 athletes, coaches, and members of 11 sports delegations in Southeast Asia have registered for the event.

Vietnam’s delegation participating in this year’s SEA Games consists of 951 athletes competing in 508 categories, 250 coaches, 30 experts, and 46 team managers.

Vietnam sets a target of winning at least 140 gold medals and placing first in the medal table.

Vietnam ranked second behind host the Philippines, winning 98 gold, 85 silver, and 105 bronze medals at the 30th SEA Games in 2019.

This is the second time that Vietnam has hosted the SEA Games after the first time in 2003.  

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