Vietnam's fencing team have won their first three gold medals at the 2026 Southeast Asian Fencing Championships in the northern province of Quảng Ninh, SGGP reported. Nguyễn Phước Đến took the men's individual épée, Nguyễn Xuân Lợi the men's individual sabre and Phùng Thị Khánh Linh the women's individual sabre.
Three finals
Phước Đến, from Hồ Chí Minh City and seeded second, beat his senior teammate Nguyễn Tiến Nhật 15-10 in the semi-final. In the final he edged top seed Joe Jr Noelito of the Philippines 15-13.
In the men's sabre, Xuân Lợi beat senior teammate Vũ Thành An 15-11 in the semi-final, then defeated Malaysia's Teh Zi Hao 15-9 for gold.
The women's sabre final was an all-Vietnamese affair, with Khánh Linh beating teammate Phạm Thị Thu Hoài 15-7.
| Event | Gold | Beaten finalist | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men's individual épée | Nguyễn Phước Đến | Joe Jr Noelito (Philippines) | 15-13 |
| Men's individual sabre | Nguyễn Xuân Lợi | Teh Zi Hao (Malaysia) | 15-9 |
| Women's individual sabre | Phùng Thị Khánh Linh | Phạm Thị Thu Hoài (Vietnam) | 15-7 |
Straight from the Asian Games
Two of the three champions competed at the 20th Asian Games in Japan. SGGP said Phước Đến's win was all the more notable because he went straight from the continental Games into the regional event. Xuân Lợi left the Asian Games without a medal; in Quảng Ninh he finished on top of the podium.
For the hosts, both men's semi-finals described by SGGP were Vietnamese against Vietnamese, and the women's sabre final belonged entirely to Vietnam, a sign that the home team has several competitive fencers in the same weapon.
What comes next
The championships run until 23 October in Quảng Ninh, with 12 titles on offer across six individual and six team events. SGGP did not give the schedule for the remaining events. Follow other results in our sports section and latest news.