The omission of Vietnam's men's football gold medal victory from the SEA Games 33 closing ceremony's highlight reel has drawn criticism from fans. During the ceremony on the evening of 20/12, the host nation, Thailand, presented a recap video of memorable moments that notably excluded the final match where Vietnam secured the championship. This perceived oversight has led to hundreds of comments on social media posts highlighting the issue.
The 2-minute, 30-second video aimed to feature one memorable moment from most sports. For men's football, it showed two images: a group stage match between Malaysia and Laos, and Pham Ly Duc celebrating a goal with Nguyen Dinh Bac during another group stage game against Laos.
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Pham Ly Duc (left) celebrates a goal with Nguyen Dinh Bac during a group stage victory against Laos in men's football at Rajamangala Stadium, Bangkok, Thailand on 3/12/2025. Photo: screenshot |
The women's football segment featured the Philippines celebrating a stoppage-time goal against Vietnam in a group stage match. Ironically, the Philippines went on to defeat Vietnam in the final via a penalty shootout, a match where Vietnam had a valid goal by Nguyen Thi Bich Thuy disallowed by the referee.
While the highlight video predominantly showcased Thai athletes, no images of Thailand's football teams were included. This is because Thailand failed to secure gold medals in both men's and women's football. The organizing committee even included footage of the host nation's futsal women's team losing to Indonesia in the semifinals, a significant upset given Thailand's previous dominance in every futsal tournament.
In the men's football final, Vietnam staged a remarkable comeback after Thailand took a 2-0 lead in the first half. The visiting team leveled the score within 11 minutes of the second half. In extra time, forward Nguyen Thanh Nhan scored the decisive goal, securing a 3-2 victory for Vietnam. This defeat marked Thailand's first loss in men's football on home soil in 66 years.
Beyond football, other Vietnamese athletes featured in the summary video included Trinh Thu Vinh and Pham Quang Huy in shooting, and an esports gamer pointing to the Vietnamese flag on their jersey after a victory. The video did not exclusively feature moments from final matches across all sports.
The SEA Games 33 closing ceremony lasted approximately 1 hour 30 minutes on the evening of 20/12. After 11 days of official competition, the games concluded with the host nation topping the medal table with a record 233 gold medals. Vietnam finished third overall with 87 gold medals, behind Indonesia, which secured 91 golds.
The 34th SEA Games will take place in Malaysia in 9/2027.
Hoang An
