VOV.VN - Nguyen Thi Oanh won the women’s title, while Hoang Nguyen Thanh claimed the men’s crown at the Vietnam International Half Marathon (VIHM) 2026 in Hanoi on January 1.

VOV.VN - With a total score of 1,272, shooter Trinh Thu Vinh was announced as Vietnam’s most outstanding athlete of 2025 in a national poll organised by the Sports Authority of Vietnam on December 31.

VOV.VN - The Hanoi GM and IM Chess Tournament 2026, jointly organized by the Vietnam Chess Federation and the Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports, got underway on December 31 at the Future Grandmaster Chess Club in Hanoi.

VOV.VN - Vietnam lost 2-1 to Syria in a closed-door friendly on December 30, a match aimed at testing squad depth and tactical options ahead of the AFC U23 Asian Cup finals in Saudi Arabia.

VOV.VN - Head coach Kim Sang Sik is stepping up preparations as Vietnam U23 will play the tournament’s opening match at the AFC U23 Asian Cup.

VOV.VN - Vietnam will take on Syria in a closed-door friendly at 7:00 p.m. (Vietnam time) on December 30 – a match seen as a crucial final test for head coach Kim Sang-sik’s squad ahead of the coming AFC U23 Asian Cup finals.

The 2025 Can Tho Open Sailing Regatta was held on December 29, offering an engaging sporting event that helps showcase the beauty of the Mekong Delta province’s riverine landscape to domestic and international visitors, while meeting the public’s cultural and spiritual needs.

VOV.VN - TV360, an online TV platform developed by military-run Viettel Telecom, has secured its exclusive broadcasting rights for a series of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC)’s tournaments featuring Vietnam’s participation for the next three years.

VOV.VN - The south-central province of Khanh Hoa is scheduled to play host to the International Kitesurfing Festival 2025 at My Hoa beach from January 15–17, 2026, according to a local official.

VOV.VN - Vietnamese player Nguyen Thanh Bao claimed the silver medal at the International Xiangqi Masters Tournament – 7th Phuong Trang Cup, which concluded at Da Nang Times Square on December 28.

VOV.VN - Midfielder Nguyen Quang Hai has become Vietnam’s most valuable footballer, according to the latest market valuations published by Transfermarkt, a Germany-based website specialising in player transfer values and statistics.

The first Ninh Binh GM/IM/FM Chess Tournament 2025 concluded on December 27 after eight days of intense play in the blitz and standard formats.

VOV.VN - Midfielder Hoang Duc won the Vietnam Golden Ball 2025, marking the third time in his career he has claimed the country’s most prestigious individual football honor, at an awards ceremony held on December 26 in Ho Chi Minh City.

VOV.VN - Vietnam U23 departed for Qatar on December 26 to begin a training camp in preparation for the AFC U23 Asian Cup 2026 finals.

VOV.VN - Vietnamese football has been described as a source of pride for Southeast Asia by Winston Lee, Secretary-General of the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF), during the Vietnam Football Federation’s (VFF) 2025 annual congress.

VOV.VN - 2025 marked a significant year for Vietnamese sport, with local athletes recording a number of milestone achievements in both domestic and international competitions. The following highlights were selected by the Voice of Vietnam (VOV).

VOV.VN - The Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) has decided not to field its U23 team at the 2026 Asian Games (ASIAD), opting instead to send the national U21 side to the tournament, a move seen as part of a long-term development strategy.

VOV.VN - Vietnam will take on Indonesia in the ASEAN Boys’ U19 Futsal Championship 2025 semifinals after falling 1-2 to Thailand in a Group A match on December 25.

VOV.VN - Vietnam’s women’s national football team will remain under the guidance of head coach Mai Duc Chung as they prepare for the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup, a crucial tournament in Vietnam’s quest to qualify for the FIFA Women’s World Cup for the second time.

VOV.VN - Marksmen of the national shooting team are gearing up to compete for medals at the Asian Rifle/Pistol Championship 2026, scheduled for February 2–14 in India.

VOV.VN - The Vietnam women’s volleyball team ended 2025 at 28th in the world, according to the latest year-end rankings released by the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB).

VOV.VN - Nguyen Thi Thu Huyen, a 14-year-old Vietnamese badminton player, has climbed 650 places in the women’s singles world rankings of the Badminton World Federation (BWF) following an impressive run at two international tournaments in Bangladesh.

VOV.VN - Ahead of the 2026 New Year, FIFA President Gianni Infantino has sent a congratulatory letter to Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) President Tran Quoc Tuan.

VOV.VN - Tuoi Tre (Young Age) Newspaper, in collaboration with Phu Nhuan Jewelry (PNJ), presented head coach Kim Sang Sik with a special gold medal crafted entirely from 24K gold, weighing the equivalent of 33 chi (around 124 grams), on December 24 at the headquarters of the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF).

VOV.VN - The world’s football governing body FIFA has officially announced the list of Vietnamese referees accredited as FIFA referees for 2026, with a total of 22 Vietnamese match officials receiving international recognition.

VOV.VN - Under the terms of his contract, head coach Kim Sang-sik will continue to lead the Vietnam national team through the final tournament of the AFC Asian Cup 2027 without renegotiations.

VOV.VN - Vietnam U23 have officially regrouped following their gold medal triumph at the SEA Games 33, beginning preparations for the AFC U23 Asian Cup 2026.

VOV.VN - Vietnamese shooter Trinh Thu Vinh has climbed to the top of the Asian rankings in the women’s 25m sport pistol event, according to the latest standings released on December 22 by the Asian Shooting Confederation (ASC).

The International Xiangqi Masters Tournament – 7th Phuong Trang Cup officially opened on December 22 at FUTA Residence – Da Nang Times Square in the central city of Da Nang, attracting the participation of many of Asia’s leading xiangqi players.

VOV.VN - According to the latest FIFA World Rankings released on December 22, Vietnam have risen three places to 107th in the world, marking their most notable improvement in the December 2025 rankings.