Vietnamese athletes arrive in Myanmar for SEA Games

Nearly 200 athletes arrived in Mayanmar's capital on December 4, Naypyidaw, to prepare to compete in the SEA Games.

Lam Quang Thanh, head of the delegation and the deputy head of the National Sports Administration, promised to do their best at the event.

"We have high hopes of bringing home the first gold medal in wushu, an event in which we'll compete on December 7. Our team seems to be strong in this sport," he said.

Head of the delegation, Lam Quang Thanh

Swimmer Nguyen Thi Anh Vien, one of the key athletes of Vietnam team this season, recently only returned from her training in the US. "I'm happy and a bit nervous too. I worked hard in order to prepare for this moment and would like to take the gold medal," Anh said with The Thao Van Hoa News.

Athletes from the pencak silat and boxing teams also showed their optimism. "We're at out primes after the training in the Philippines. We're ready to get into the game and take the prize," said boxing coach Nguyen Nhu Cuong.

One of the highlights of the games will be the U23 football team, led by coach Hoang Van Phuc. Even though they were asked to be in the final round, the coaches said they did not want to put pressure on players so they would try to take on each match and the ticket to semi-finals first.

Coach Hoang Van Phuc

Phuc admitted that their defense was still weak and the players still miss too many goals, but he showed optimistic about the tournament.

He said, "The weather in Myanmar is very hot now. It's fortunate that we have got used to it during previous matches. The most important thing is stamina. Our players must stay strong throughout the matches. I think we can expect good results from them because they are hardworking and in high spirits."

The Vietnamese football team will have their first match against Brunei on December 8.

Some photos of the Vietnamese delegation at the Naypyidaw International Airport, Myanmar: