Vietnamese sports shine in the international arena

In recent days, Vietnamese sports have received consecutive good news: Vietnamese football was nominated at the AFC Awards 2025, while chess player Lai Ly Huynh excellently won the Chinese Chess World Championship. These achievements not only affirm the increasingly high position of the country's sports in the international arena, but also add confidence and pride to fans.

Chess player Lai Ly Huynh won the world chess championship.

On the afternoon of September 27 in Shanghai (China), Vietnam's No. 1 chess player Lai Ly Huynh made history when he excellently won the Gold medal in the standard chess event at the 2025 World Chinese Chess Championship.

In the final match, Lai Ly Huynh's opponent was Doan Thang, a 20-year-old "prodigy" and also the greatest hope of Chinese chess.

Lai Ly Huynh (left) and Doan Thang battled wits in the historic final match. (Photo: Vietnam Sports and Physical Training Department)

The Vietnamese player was at a disadvantage when holding the black pieces, going behind and facing pressure when Doan Thang chose to attack continuously with the cannon exchange position.

However, Lai Ly Huynh remained calm, accepting strategic sacrifices to regain balance. In the mid-game, he gradually created an advantage with sure moves, forcing his opponent to panic.

The turning point came in the endgame, when Lai Ly Huynh cleverly locked Doan Thang's rook and knight, leaving the home player with no escape plan. After more than 3 hours of intense competition, Doan Thang had to give up the flag, conceding the championship to his opponent from Vietnam.

This achievement becomes even more meaningful when, from 1990 to now, all 18 world men's individual standard chess championships have belonged to Chinese players.

Vietnamese football nominated at AFC Awards 2025

VFF is nominated in two important categories: AFC Federation of the Year Award 2025 and AFC President's Recognition Award for Grassroots Football.

According to information from the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF), the 29th annual Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Awards ceremony will officially take place on October 16 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

This is an annual event to honor individuals, groups and organizations that have made outstanding contributions to the development of Asian football in the past year.

The award ceremony will officially take place on October 16. (Photo: VFF)

According to the announcement from the Asian Football Confederation, the Vietnam Football Federation has been nominated in two important categories: AFC Federation of the Year Award 2025 - Diamond Category and AFC President's Recognition Award for Grassroots Football 2025 - Bronze Category.

These are meaningful nominations, demonstrating the AFC's recognition of the comprehensive efforts of the Vietnam Football Federation in both elevating professional football and promoting the community football movement across the country.

Over the years, Vietnamese football has achieved many important achievements at both the national and youth team levels, and the Vietnam Football Federation has also implemented many sustainable development programs to expand access to football for a large number of fans and future generations of players.

Being honored in the nomination list not only affirms the growing prestige and position of Vietnamese football on the Asian football map, but is also a great source of encouragement for the Vietnam Football Federation to continue its efforts on the path of development, integration and professionalization.

Source: https://thoidai.com.vn/the-thao-viet-nam-toa-sang-tren-dau-truong-quoc-te-216591.html