Nguyễn Thùy Linh remains the undisputed number one in Vietnamese women's badminton. The world No. 28 beat Vũ Thị Trang 2-0 (21-11, 21-8) in the women's singles final of Vietnam's 2026 national championship for leading players, held at the Quảng Trị arena on the morning of 25 October. According to VnExpress and Báo Văn Hóa, it was her ninth consecutive title at the event, a run covering 2018-2026.
A one-sided final
The match repeated the 2025 final, but this time the gap was far wider. VnExpress reports that the first set was level only until 6-6. Linh then pulled away to 11-6 and 12-9 before closing it out 21-11.
The second set exposed the difference in freshness. The 29-year-old moved her 34-year-old opponent around the court with varied shots, forcing a string of errors as Trang tired. It ended 21-8. Báo Văn Hóa notes that Trang sits 57 places below Linh in the world rankings.
Background: nine years at the top
Recent meetings between the pair show Linh still winning, though not always easily. KBVN+ has put the timeline together from the two reports:
| When | Result |
|---|---|
| 2018-2026 | Linh wins the women's singles title at this event nine years in a row |
| 2025 final | Linh comes from behind to beat Trang 2-1 (VnExpress) |
| May 2026 | Linh comes from behind to beat Trang in the final of the national club championships (Báo Văn Hóa) |
| 25 October | Linh beats Trang 21-11, 21-8 |
VnExpress adds that Linh, born on 20 November 1997, has played professionally since she was 14 years old, won the Vietnam Open three years running and competed at two Olympic Games, Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024.
The other finals
The championship ran from 20-25 October with 150 players from 14 provinces and cities competing in five events. The other finals, as reported by VnExpress:
| Event | Winner | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|
| Men's singles | Nguyễn Hải Đăng (Ho Chi Minh City) | Phan Phúc Thịnh (Ho Chi Minh City) |
| Men's doubles | Đình Hoàng/Đình Mạnh (Lâm Đồng) | Đức Lâm/Bảo Đức (Army) |
| Women's doubles | Bích Phương/Vũ Chinh (Hà Nội) | Phạm Khánh/Diệu Ly (Hưng Yên) |
| Mixed doubles | Văn Trường/Bích Phương (Hà Nội) | Đình Mạnh/Khánh Ngọc (Lâm Đồng) |
Bích Phương was the only double winner, taking the women's doubles and mixed doubles for Hà Nội. Lâm Đồng's Đình Mạnh played in two finals, winning the men's doubles and losing the mixed. VnExpress describes men's champion Nguyễn Hải Đăng as the country's top-ranked men's player.
What lies ahead
Domestically, Linh still has no real challenger. VnExpress argues that two veteran players meeting in the final for a second straight year exposes a gap in Vietnamese women's badminton, with no young player yet able to compete with the senior pair. At a higher level, Linh continues to be judged by her results on the international circuit; catch up on her European swing after the Asian Games and her Denmark Open loss to the world No. 7.