Vietnamese Wushu at Asiad 20: A Rain of Medals, a Final Berth, and Lessons from the Giants

Amid the roaring cheers of the arena, Dinh Van Tam landed a kick squarely on his opponent's ribs. Fereddy Sinaga, the Indonesian fighter, staggered. The referee did not need to check the video. He raised his hand, confirming victory for the Vietnamese fighter. In another corner of the mat, Duong Thuy Vi, dubbed a "veteran" by the media, finished her sword and spear routine with a steady stance. There was no shout, no wild celebration. Only the silence of an athlete who knew she had given her all.

A few hours later, Vietnamese sports news sites simultaneously published: "Wushu brings a rain of medals for Vietnamese sports at Asiad 20." Four bronze medals, a spot in the final, and hope for a gold. But behind that number lies another story — a story of rules, of how medals are awarded, and of the gap between a regional wushu program and the continent's giants. As I always say, I don't look at the medal; I look at how it is awarded.

Wushu, a traditional Chinese martial art, is divided into two distinct competitive branches: sanda (also called sanshou) and taolu. Sanda is full-contact fighting, allowing punches, kicks, throws, and takedowns. Taolu is the performance of forms, sword, spear, and staff, judged on difficulty and execution quality. At the Asian Games, both branches have their own medal events, and this is the most prestigious arena for Asian wushu athletes.

Asiad 20 — the 20th Asian Games — according to initial information, held its wushu events on September 23 and 24. However, there is ambiguity about this edition. The cited dates do not fully match the schedule of Asiad 19 (Hangzhou 2026/2026), where wushu began after the opening ceremony on September 23, 2026. A reasonable reading of "Asiad 20" is the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games, scheduled from September 19 to October 4, 2026. This cannot be fully verified, but it raises a question about the timing context of the achievement. Regardless of the edition, the structure of wushu remains unchanged.

China, the birthplace of the sport, dominates almost absolutely in both sanda and taolu. Iran is a formidable force in sanda thanks to its freestyle wrestling background. Southeast Asian countries like Vietnam, Indonesia, and the Philippines regularly appear in the semifinals but rarely overcome these two giants. And Vietnam, with its long wushu tradition, is always expected to bring home medals.

The history of Vietnamese wushu at recent Asiad editions shows a stable but not yet breakthrough picture. At Asiad 18 (Jakarta-Palembang 2026), Vietnam won one silver and one bronze. At Asiad 19 (Hangzhou 2026), a similar result with one silver and one bronze. Thus, the result at Asiad 20 with four bronzes and at least one silver is a step forward in quantity, but not necessarily in quality if the gold does not come. However, having four fighters in the semifinals is a sign that a new generation of athletes is maturing.

The results of the Vietnamese delegation on September 23 can be summarized as four bronze medals and one spot in the final. But to understand the true value of this achievement, each event must be dissected.

In the men's 56kg sanda, Dinh Van Tam is the brightest name. He defeated Fereddy Sinaga of Indonesia in the semifinal, earning a place in the final on September 24. At minimum, Van Tam will have a silver medal. If he wins, he will make history with the first gold medal for Vietnamese wushu at an Asiad in many years. This is the most positive signal of the entire competition day. According to experts, Van Tam is seen as the "medal engine" of the Vietnamese wushu team in this weight class, with a flexible fighting style and the ability to exploit his opponent's openings.

Three other Vietnamese fighters stopped at the semifinals and received bronze medals. Nguyen Thi Thu Thuy (women's 60kg) lost to Zhang Xiaoyu of China. Hua Van Doan (men's 60kg) lost to Tang Sishuo, also of China. Nguyen Khac Kien (men's 65kg) lost to Shoja Panahigelehkolaei of Iran. All three losses came against opponents from the two nations that dominate Asian sanda. This shows a clear pattern: Vietnam can overcome Southeast Asian opponents and some other countries, but when facing China or Iran, the gap remains.

Notably, the Asiad rules award bronze to both losing semifinalists. This is a common rule in many martial arts at the Olympics and Asian Games, to honor those who reach the final four. But it also means that three of Vietnam's four bronze medals were mechanically guaranteed as soon as the fighters passed the quarterfinals. In other words, the "four bronze medals" achievement does not entirely reflect absolute strength, but reflects the depth of the squad: four fighters reached the semifinals, a very commendable feat. To earn four semifinal spots, the fighters had to win at least one match in the earlier rounds, and that shows their technical foundation is not weak.

The remaining bronze came from taolu. Duong Thuy Vi, a veteran athlete, won a medal in the sword and spear event. This is a symbolic result, because taolu is an artistic and difficulty-based discipline, where China dominates almost every event. A Vietnamese fighter winning a medal in taolu amidst a "forest" of Chinese athletes is no small achievement. However, it should be noted that the organizers did not publish detailed scores, so the gap between her and her opponents cannot be assessed. In taolu, scores are divided into two parts: difficulty (including jumps, spins, balances) and execution quality (accuracy, power, rhythm). A small mistake can cost points, and there is no direct "opponent" to compare. Thus, Duong Thuy Vi's medal is a testament to the perseverance and experience of a fighter in the twilight of her career.

A deeper analysis of the losses reveals a clear pattern: two losses to China and one to Iran. China is the wall of continental wushu. In any weight class, Chinese fighters are always rated higher thanks to their childhood training system, physicality, and superior technique. Iran, with its wrestling background, is a bad matchup for many Southeast Asian fighters in the middle weights. Losing to Iran at 65kg is not surprising, but it shows Vietnam still lacks a weapon to counter wrestling-style fighting. In sanda, throws and takedowns score highly, and fighters with a wrestling background often dominate in close-range situations. Vietnamese fighters, with a stand-up tradition, may struggle against opponents from countries with strong wrestling.

The only truly breakthrough bright spot is Dinh Van Tam. He is the only Vietnamese fighter to reach the gold medal match. This shows that at 56kg, Vietnam has a fighter capable of overcoming regional opponents, but the final will be the real test. If the opponent is a Chinese or Iranian fighter, the chance of gold is very slim. If it is another Southeast Asian fighter, Van Tam could make history. According to the schedule, the final will take place on September 24, and this is the event that Vietnamese fans are most eagerly awaiting.

From my years of watching wushu, I observe that Vietnam's performance at Asiad 20 accurately reflects the position of the country's wushu: strong regionally, with depth in a few weight classes, but unable to cross the continental threshold. Four semifinal spots are a feat in quantity, but only one final spot is a signal of top quality. The difference between a strong wushu nation and a championship wushu nation lies in the ability to convert semifinal spots into final spots, and final spots into gold medals. Data never makes mistakes; the writer is the one who receives the card. And the data here paints a picture that is both encouraging and thought-provoking.

For an objective view, compare with previous Asiad editions. At Asiad 18 (Jakarta-Palembang 2026), Vietnam won one silver and one bronze in wushu. At Asiad 19 (Hangzhou 2026), Vietnam had one silver and one bronze. Thus, the result of four bronzes and at least one silver at Asiad 20 is a step forward in medal quantity, but not necessarily in quality if the gold does not come. However, having four fighters in the semifinals is a sign that a new generation is maturing. Compared to other Southeast Asian countries, Vietnam is leading in the number of semifinalists, but Indonesia also has strong fighters, and the Philippines is emerging in some weight classes.

Another factor to consider is the difference between sanda and taolu. Sanda is a combat sport, where results depend on fighting skills, physicality, and tactics. Taolu is a performance sport, where scores depend on the judging panel. The two branches cannot be directly compared. Duong Thuy Vi's taolu medal has its own value, but it cannot be used to assess the combat strength of Vietnamese wushu. Similarly, the results of sanda fighters cannot be used to infer their ability in other martial arts like kickboxing or MMA, because sanda rules allow throws and takedowns, while kickboxing does not. Sanda also has no ground fighting, and prolonged clinching is penalized. These are important differences that fans need to understand to properly evaluate the achievement.

Organizationally, this is a multi-sport event run by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), with the International Wushu Federation (IWUF) managing the technical aspects. There is no commercial element like PPV or big prize money. Athletes compete for their national colors and bonuses from the state. Therefore, the value of the medal lies in national pride and possibly future investment in the sport. According to some sources, athletes who win medals at the Asian Games can receive bonuses from the Vietnam Olympic Committee and sponsors, but the specific amounts are not disclosed. This shows a reality: achievement at a continental arena can change an athlete's financial situation, but it also creates significant pressure.

Vietnamese media calls this a "rain of medals." But from a referee's perspective, I think we need to read that number cautiously. Three of the four bronze medals are the result of the rule awarding bronze to both losing semifinalists. Without this rule, Vietnam would have only one bronze from taolu and one final spot. So what is the real achievement?

The real achievement is Dinh Van Tam. A spot in the final is undeniable. It shows Vietnam has a fighter capable of beating opponents in the earlier rounds. But if Van Tam loses the final, Vietnam's achievement is still just "four bronzes, one silver" — a good result but not a revolution. If Van Tam wins, it will be the first gold medal for Vietnamese wushu at an Asiad since... (need to check history). Either way, the final on September 24 will reshape the entire story. As I once wrote, Kazan erased a goal, but opened an eye. Here, a bronze medal can erase illusions of strength, but open an opportunity to look directly at the gap.

Another point rarely mentioned is the livelihood risk for athletes. In the state sports system, performance at major games heavily determines investment and benefits. Athletes who win medals will be rewarded, but those without medals may have their support cut. With four fighters in the semifinals, all have medals, but a bronze may not be enough to secure long-term investment. This is a downside of the performance-based system. In wushu, an athlete's career is often short, especially in sanda, where collisions and injuries can end a career early. Taolu athletes can extend their careers longer through technique and experience, as Duong Thuy Vi has shown, but they also face joint injury risks from jumps and landings.

Technically, it is important to remember that sanda is not like professional combat sports. Sanda fighters do not earn income from professional fights. They compete for the national team, and their careers are shorter than MMA fighters due to the level of impact and injury. Lightweight classes like 56kg, 60kg, 65kg may be less dangerous for brain injury than heavier classes, but they still carry joint injury risks from throws and falls. A study on injuries in sanda shows that the most common injuries are to the knee, ankle, and shoulder, often from twisting and landing. So behind every medal is a process of grueling training and no small health risks.

After the September 23 competition day, the biggest question is not "How many medals does Vietnam have?" but "Can Vietnam overcome China and Iran to win gold?" Dinh Van Tam's final on September 24 will partly answer that. If he wins, it will be a signal that Vietnamese wushu has reached continental level. If he loses, the achievement is still commendable, but it will remind us that the gap with the powers remains.

In the long term, what to watch is whether this success generates a new wave of investment in youth wushu. A major games can produce medals, but only a systematic training system can produce champions. And as I always say, I don't look at the medal; I look at how it is awarded, and how it is built from the first steps. The referee is the fastest reader of the match; I am just one beat slower. And that slower beat gives me time to see what lies behind the glory.