Vietnam are Asian pencak silat champs again

The Vietnamese athletes won 12 gold, 6 silver and 2 bronze medals at the five-day event that ended Sunday in China.

Ten of the twelve gold medals were won in competitive fighting and two in artistic performances.

Vietnamese men won gold in the 75 kg, 80 kg, 85 kg and over 85 kg categories, and the women took them in the 50 kg, 55 kg, under 65 kg, 70 kg and 75 kg categories.

The Vietnamese men (C) who won the two-athlete artistic performance contest at the 5th Asian Pencak Silat Championship receive their gold medals in China. Photo by Hanoimoi/Thu Huong.

The two artistic performance gold medals were won in the men’s two-athlete and women’s three-athlete performances.

With a total tally of 20 medals, Vietnam finished the championship in first place, followed by Singapore and Malaysia. It was the second time Vietnam had topped the championship, having done it last year in the fourth edition of the event hosted by India.

Vietnam marked another pencak silat achievement when Pham Thu Huong became the first woman to chair the competition. She was also the the first Vietnamese person to chair a regional pencak silat competition.