Da Nang (VNA) 𓆉– Vietnamese swimmers secured five golds, one silver and one bronze at the ongoing 13th ASEAN School Games (ASG) held in the central city of Da Nang on June 3, topping the tally on the first day of the competition.

Nguyen Thuy Hien finished first in the women’s 50m individual breaststroke category in a time of 32.7sec and medley with 56.62 sec, while Trinh Truong Vinh topped in the men’s 200m individual backstroke category with 2 minutes 6.66 sec. In the men’s 4x200m freestyle replay category, Nguyen Quan Thuan, Mai Tran Tuan Anh, Duong Van Hoang Quy, and Tran Van Nguyen Quoc finished in a time of 7 minute 36.74 sec. Meanwhile, Vu Thi Phuong Anh, Le Thi Thuy Trang, Nguyen Ngoc Tuyet Han, and Nguyen Thuy Hien bagged gold in women’s 4x200m freestyle replay category. Thailand’s swimming team ranked second with 2 gold, 2 silver and 3 bronze medals, followed by Indonesia with 2 gold, 2 silver and 3 bronze medals. Athletes continue to compete for medals in freestyle, breaststroke, butterfly and medley events on June 4. Themed “Connect to shine together”, the 13th ASEAN Schools Games gathers more than 1,300 students, coaches from 10 countries in the region, namely Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. The event takes place from May 29 to Jun 6, with six sports: swimming, basketball, badminton, track and field, Pencak Silat, and Vovinam. The Vietnamese team has 190 athletes participating in all sports. The mascot of the Games is the red-shanked douc langur, an endemic primate living in Son Tra peninsula, Da Nang and some other places in Vietnam. This is a rare animal species, classified as endangered by the world nature conservation organization and Vietnam. The mascot sends out the message of environmental protection to the students and the community as a whole./.