Vietnamese, foreigners split as Vietnam leaves Paris 2024 Olympics without medals

Vietnamese and foreigners have aired mixed views about the Vietnamese sports delegation’s performance at the Paris 2024 Olympics after the team secured no medals at the Games.

This is Vietnam’s second consecutive Games edition without any medal.

Team Vietnam’s dream of winning a medal in Paris vanished after its last athlete competing in Paris — canoeist Nguyen Thi Huong — failed to enter the final round on Thursday afternoon.

On Tuesday morning, after leaving the Paris 2024 Olympics, athletes and coaches from the Vietnamese shooting, archery, and badminton teams arrived at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi.

The group exited the airport quietly and swiftly. 

There were no fans, and only a few sport officials and reporters were at the airport to cover the arrival.

While Vietnamese fans strongly criticized the athletes’ poor performances, foreign readers of Tuoi Tre News praised their efforts and offered encouragement.

Many Vietnamese attributed the national team’s unsuccessful Olympic campaign to the country’s ‘credit mania,’ particularly at the biennual Southeast Asian (SEA) Games.

Ton Anh, a Tuoi Tre reader, commented that Vietnam tends to overly praise its athletes, leading to a harsh reality check at international competitions like the Olympics.

Another reader, Thanh, agreed, saying that Vietnam places too much emphasis on achievements at the SEA Games.

He noted that local sports officials, coaches, and athletes seem content with their successes at the SEA Games and the associated prizes for gold, silver, and bronze medals.

Thanh acknowledged that winning and losing are part of sports, but found it unacceptable that the entire Vietnamese delegation failed to win any medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

M. Tuan, another reader, expressed his disappointment, saying that seeing Vietnamese athletes without any medal made him feel upset for the country’s sports.

He questioned why Vietnam, which usually dominates the SEA Games, could not even secure a bronze medal at the Olympics.

To address this, many readers suggested that Vietnam should move away from targeting the top spot at the SEA Games and instead set specific goals for each sport in every competition.

Dang Phong proposed that Vietnam focus on two sports where local athletes have a real chance of winning medals — weightlifting and shooting — and invest heavily in these areas to boost performance.

On the other hand, many foreign readers spoke highly of Vietnamese athletes’ efforts and encouraged them to keep practicing.

They claimed that it was normal to secure no medals at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

It is more important that athletes have done their utmost.

“Good on them for giving their best,” Edward Neil said.

Patricia Thomas echoed this sentiment, noting that simply participating and being good enough to be selected for the Olympics represent a significant achievement.

She said that she had watched a Vietnamese rower compete live in Paris and was impressed by the athlete’s determined efforts in a sport that is still underdeveloped in Vietnam.

“Bravo to all your athletes,” the foreign reader added.

Meanwhile, Marko Artiaga, a lecturer of English at Ton Duc Thang University in Ho Chi Minh City, called on Vietnamese people to be grateful to the athletes as they represented Vietnam.

Another reader, Peter Sprake, praised the Vietnamese athletes for giving their all, acknowledging that it will take time for Vietnam to win medals in such a fiercely competitive arena.

“Great effort anyway Vietnam. Great to participate,” Geoffrey Pike wrote, voicing his hope for the development of Vietnam’s sports.

“Who knows what four years will bring.”

MC Mopar from the U.S. expressed his gratitude to Vietnamese athletes competing at the Paris 2024 Olympics, “Thank You Olympians,” while Alan Whitten, another reader of Tuoi Tre News, encouraged the athletes to keep practicing.

Outstanding achievements at SEA Games

At SEA Games, Vietnam’s sports delegation has been among the top three in the medal tally since the 22nd SEA Games in 2003.

It finished the 31st SEA Games in 2022 and 32nd SEA Games in 2023 at the top of the medal table.

In particular, Vietnam won 136 gold medals, 105 silvers, and 114 bronzes, totaling 355 medals at the 32nd SEA Games in 2023 in Cambodia.

It was followed by Thailand with a total of 312 medals and Indonesia with 276 medals.

At the 31st SEA Games held in Vietnam, its sports delegation won 205 golds, breaking the previous gold medal record set by Indonesia in 1997.

Thailand came in second on the medal table with 92 golds, while Indonesia ranked third with 69.

Poor performances at Olympics

Vietnam’s sports delegation has participated in the Summer Olympics a total of 17 times since 1952 and bagged five medals, including one gold, three silvers, and one bronze.

Its first Olympic medal came in the form of a silver, earned by taekwondo fighter Tran Hieu Ngan in the women’s 57kg category at the Sydney 2000 Games. 

In the summer of 2016, marksman Hoang Xuan Vinh made history by claiming one gold and one silver medal at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, becoming the most successful Vietnamese athlete in Olympic history.

However, the Southeast Asian country has earned zero Olympic medals over the past eight years. 

Vietnamese athletes left the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, held in 2021 due to COVID-19, and the Paris 2024 Olympics without medals.  

At the ongoing Paris 2024 Olympics, the Philippines currently takes the lead among the Southeast Asian countries with two golds and two bronzes.

Indonesia has won three medals, including two golds and one bronze, and Thailand has pocketed one gold, three silvers, and two bronzes.

Malaysia has had two bronzes.

Singapore, Cambodia, Laos, Brunei, Timor Leste, and Myanmar are facing the same fate as Vietnam.

In Olympic history, Thailand has been the most successful Southeast Asian country, securing 40 Olympic medals, including 11 golds, 10 silvers, and 19 bronzes.

Thailand has consistently left each Olympic edition with at least one medal.

Indonesia follows with 38 Olympic medals, eight of which were won by badminton athletes.

The Philippines ranks third in Southeast Asia with three golds, five silvers, and 10 bronzes.

Vietnam ranks fourth, but its achievements are modest compared to these three countries.

At the Paris 2024 Olympics, Vietnam was represented by 16 athletes competing in 11 sports.

By Thanh Ha – Tuoi Tre News – August 11, 2024