As of 9pm of the same day, the host nation had bagged 152 gold, 76 silver and 74 bronze medals, followed by Thailand with 53 golds and the Philippines with 37.

On the day, three golds came for Vietnam in athletics, two each in shooting and canoeing, and one each in chess, billiards, and cycling, among others.

Both the women’s and men’s football teams of Vietnam have qualified for the finals, where they will face their Thai rivals on May 21 and 22, respectively.

SEA Games 31, themed “For a Stronger South East Asia”, is being held in Hanoi and 11 neighbouring provinces and cities until May 23.

It features 40 sports with 523 events, attracting around 10,000 participants. The biennial event was initially slated for late 2021 but delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic./.