Vietnamese Swimming: From Touchpoints to Olympic Dreams

When Nguyen Huy Hoang touched the wall at the 32nd SEA Games in Cambodia, the clock stopped at 14 minutes 58.35 seconds. He had just broken his own SEA Games record, and the entire stadium erupted. I stood in the media zone, watching the boy from Quang Binh bury his face in his hands and cry, and I remembered the first time I saw him swim – a skinny kid with unbalanced legs but powerful arm strokes. In that moment, I understood that Vietnamese swimming is not just numbers, but stories. Vietnamese swimming has made significant strides over the past decade. From having only a few swimmers meeting SEA Games standards, we now have a generation of young athletes capable of competing regionally. Investment from the National Sports Administration and local provinces has created modern training centers, notably the National Sports Training Center in Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City. National championships are held regularly, providing athletes with competitive experience. However, compared to regional powerhouses like Singapore, Thailand, or Indonesia, we still lag significantly in both depth and breadth. This raises the question: are we on the right track? Through years of following Vietnamese swimmers, I've noticed a common trait: they excel in long-distance events like the 800m and 1500m freestyle. Nguyen Huy Hoang, Nguyen Huu Kim Son, and Tran Hung Nguyen all perform well in these distances. My own stopwatch data from national meets shows that in the 1500m, Hoang averages 1 minute 58 seconds per 100m, while Singaporean rivals typically maintain 1 minute 55 seconds. A 3-second gap per 100m sounds small, but multiplied by 15 laps, it creates a nearly 45-second deficit – a massive margin in swimming. This shows our endurance hasn't reached international standards. Technically, I've observed many Vietnamese swimmers have good pull strength but lack flexibility in turns and kicks. While top Asian swimmers like Japanese or Korean athletes use continuous kicking for steady propulsion, many of our swimmers still 'swim with arms' – relying too much on upper-body strength and neglecting the lower body. For example, at SEA Games 32, Hoang averaged 42 arm strokes per minute, compared to his Singaporean rival's 45, but his distance per stroke was only 1.9 meters versus 2.1 meters. This means we expend more energy to cover the same distance. This is a key point coaches must address. In women's events, we had Nguyen Thi Anh Vien – a historic figure with 25 SEA Games gold medals. But after her retirement, the void is enormous. Young swimmers like Le Thi My Thao or Pham Thi Thu Hien have only achieved SEA Games A-cuts, not yet competitive at the continental level. Data from youth meets shows their times are 5-7% slower than Anh Vien at the same age. This indicates we lack an effective succession system. Tactically, I've noticed Vietnamese swimmers tend to swim evenly, rarely changing pace. In contrast, top rivals often use 'surge' tactics in the final 50m or sudden acceleration mid-race. At the 2026 Asian Championships, I observed Chinese swimmer Zhang Yufei increasing speed by 0.5 seconds per 100m over the final 200m of the 800m, while Hoang maintained a constant pace. This tactical flexibility is what we lack. Over 11 years of observation and reporting, I've witnessed many generations of Vietnamese swimmers grow. From the early days with only a few standard pools, we now have modern facilities at major sports centers. However, compared to Singapore – which has over 20 Olympic-standard pools – we still have a significant gap. I remember in 2026, at the SEA Games in the Philippines, I was impressed by how they used motion analysis technology to optimize each swimmer's technique. Meanwhile, we still rely mainly on coaches' experience. This difference is evident in results: at SEA Games 32, Vietnam's swimming team won 6 gold medals, while Singapore won 12. The gap lies not just in physical conditioning but in investment strategy. Many argue Vietnam should focus on long-distance events because they're our strength. But I believe this is a strategic mistake. Long-distance events demand extraordinary endurance and offer few medals at the Olympics – only one medal set per distance. In contrast, short sprints like 50m and 100m have more events (freestyle, breaststroke, butterfly, backstroke) and higher medal chances. Moreover, sprints require technique and speed, which can be improved through modern training methods and technology. I've seen many Vietnamese swimmers with good starts but losing in the underwater phase due to imperfect diving technique. Instead of over-investing in long distances, we should build a diversified training system focusing on fundamental technique and developing sprint events. This would give us more opportunities on the international stage. Vietnamese swimming stands at a crossroads. We have young talent and investment, but we need a smarter strategy. I believe that with persistence and innovation, we won't stop at SEA Games but can dream of bigger arenas. It's time we swim not just with our bodies, but with our minds.