Host Indonesia remained firmly on top with 87 golds while Thailand got a total of 52 golds.

In swimming, teenager Hoang Quy Phuoc pocketed his second title in the men’s 100m freestyle with a time of 50.79sec. The swimmer surged ahead of the Singaporean rival Yeo Kai Quan in the last metres to win gold.

With this performance, Phuoc set a new national record and earned Vietnam its second gold medal in swimming.

Wrestler Nguyen Huy Ha also won the glory in the men’s 55kg category. Ha defeated a Thai opponent 2-0 in the final match.

His teammate Nguyen The Anh also took home a gold in the men’s 60kg after defeating a Filipino rival 2-0 in the final.

According to coach Pham Thi Ngoc La, there are six events to be organized on November 17 and Vietnamese athletes have a shot at winning them all.

The first medal of the day went to marathon runner Pham Thi Binh who came in third for a bronze, the first ever for Vietnam in SEA Games.

Making her debut at the Games this year, Binh had no expectations of taking home a gold, although her coach Nguyen Tuan Anh predicted that she would place in the top three based on her statistics in training.

Vietnam are expected to get more golds in the judo event as queen Van Ngoc Tu will attempt her fifth SEA Games crown.

The 24-year-old will compete in the women’s 48kg category and, in the case of her winning this year’s title, will have a record breaking day.

Tu first triumphed at the 23th SEA Games in the Philippines, her international debut, and has dominated the regional tournament ever since.

The Soc Trang province born athlete is also the only in the Southeast Asia to grab a bronze medal from the Asian championships.

The fifth SEA Games gold medal will make her the richest judokas. She will rank among other national icons such as wrestler Man Ba Xuan, taekwondo artist Nguyen Van Hung and pencak silat fighter Trinh Thi Mui.

In this SEA Games, Tu will have the chance to get more points she needs for a ticket for the London Olympics next summer.