Vietnam's para swimmers and athletes completed their programme at the 5th Asian Para Games in Japan on 23 October without adding to the medal tally, the Vietnam Sports Administration reported. The closest calls were two fourth places: Trịnh Thị Bích Như in the women's 50m freestyle S6 and Nguyễn Ngọc Hiệp in the men's long jump T11.
As of the morning of 23 October, Vietnam were 19th in the medal table with one gold, two silvers and two bronzes, VnExpress reported. Swimmer Đỗ Thanh Hải won the only gold, in the men's 100m breaststroke SB5, while Nguyễn Thị Ngọc Thúy took two athletics bronzes.
Results on 23 October
Swimming, held at the Nagoya City General Gymnasium, ran heats in the morning and finals in the afternoon. Athletics took place at the Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium. KBVN+ compiled the table from Sports Administration figures:
| Athlete | Event | Heat | Final | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Đỗ Thanh Hải | Men's 400m freestyle S6 | 6 minutes 00.49 seconds | 5 minutes 49.32 seconds | Sixth |
| Đỗ Thanh Hải | Men's 50m freestyle S6 | 36.53 seconds | 35.79 seconds | Eighth |
| Võ Thanh Tùng | Men's 50m backstroke | 45.11 seconds | 43.98 seconds | Seventh |
| Trịnh Thị Bích Như | Women's 50m freestyle S6 | 39.62 seconds | 38.88 seconds | Fourth |
| Nguyễn Viết Đại | Men's shot put F34 | – | 7.26m | Sixth |
| Nguyễn Ngọc Hiệp | Men's long jump T11 | – | 5.16m | Fourth |
Lê Tiến Đạt swam 37.94 seconds in the 50m freestyle S6 heats and Hà Văn Hiệp clocked 58.77 seconds in the 50m backstroke heats. Bích Như was second fastest in her heat behind China's Song Lingling and improved in the final, but missed the podium. Ngọc Hiệp jumped with guide Nguyễn Hòa Hiệp. The Sports Administration's two reports list different classes for Võ Thanh Tùng's backstroke event, so it is left out here.
Veterans and targets
Võ Thanh Tùng won a silver at the Rio 2016 Paralympics and nine golds across the 2010, 2014 and 2018 Asian Para Games, according to the Sports Administration; Ngọc Hiệp also competed in Rio. Vietnam's delegation has 36 members, 21 of them athletes, VnExpress said. The gold met the team's target of winning one, but the total is well short of the 20 medals Vietnam won at the previous Games.
Hosts play the wrong anthem three times
Organisers apologised after playing the wrong national anthem three times on 19 October, VnExpress reported. Iran's anthem was played at two para taekwondo gold-medal ceremonies, for an athlete from Taiwan in the men's 58kg and for a Mongolian athlete in the women's 52kg. South Korea's anthem was then played for about five seconds before a women's sitting volleyball match between China and Iran.
At a press conference on 21 October, Nagoya mayor Ichiro Hirosawa, acting president of the organising committee, confirmed the errors, and the men's 58kg ceremony was held again that evening. VnExpress, citing Jiji Press, said a settings error in the music software was to blame. Hirosawa said similar mistakes had happened at the Asian Games, that procedures had been reviewed afterwards, and that a repeat was unacceptable. At the 2026 Asian Games, which ended on 4 October, North Korea's anthem was played instead of South Korea's before a men's hockey match against Bangladesh on 18 September.
Timeline of the Games
- 18 October: the Games open in Aichi-Nagoya with about 4,000 athletes and officials in 18 sports.
- 19 October: three anthem mix-ups.
- 21 October: apology and a re-staged medal ceremony.
- 23 October: Vietnam finish swimming and athletics.
- 24 October: scheduled closing day.
What comes next
The Games are scheduled to close on 24 October 2026, according to VnExpress. Organisers said they would keep investigating the anthem errors and add cross-checks between staff before any anthem is played. Read how Đỗ Thanh Hải won Vietnam's first gold of the Games.