| Vietnam at the 2016 Summer Olympics | |
|---|---|
 | |
| IOC code | VIE |
| NOC | Vietnam Olympic Committee |
| Website | voc |
| in Rio de Janeiro | |
| Competitors | 23 in 10 sports |
| Flag bearer (opening) | Vũ Thành An |
| Flag bearer (closing) | Volunteer |
| Medals Ranked 48th |
|
| Summer Olympics appearances (overview) | |
Vietnam competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 5 to 21 August 2016. It was the nation's ninth appearance at the Olympics, with the exception of the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, because of the Soviet boycott.
The Vietnam Olympic Committee (VOC) fielded a squad of 23 athletes, 9 men and 14 women, to compete in 10 sports at the Games.[1] It was the nation's largest delegation sent to the Olympics in a non-boycotting edition, and the second-largest overall in history, beating the record of 18 athletes who attended the London Games in 2012. This was also the youngest delegation in Vietnam's Olympic history, with about half under the age of 25. For the second time in history, the Vietnamese team featured more female athletes than males.
Eight athletes on the Vietnamese roster previously competed in London, with the rest of the field making their Olympic debut in Rio de Janeiro. Among the nation's athletes were pistol shooter and London 2012 fourth-place finalist Hoàng Xuân Vinh, world-ranked swimmer and 2014 Youth Olympic champion Nguyễn Thị Ánh Viên, weightlifter Trần Lê Quốc Toàn, and sabre fencer and two-time Southeast Asian Games titleholder Vũ Thành An, who was selected by the committee to carry the Vietnamese flag at the opening ceremony.[2]
Vietnam left Rio de Janeiro with two medals, signifying its most successful Olympic showing at a single edition and also achieving the medal target set by VOC.[3][4] Hoàng Xuân Vinh claimed his nation's first ever gold medal in the men's 10 m air pistol on the opening day of the Games, and then followed it up with a silver in the 50 m pistol four days later, emerging himself as the most decorated Vietnamese athlete in history.[5][6]
- ^ "Vietnam represented by 23 athletes in Rio 2016 Olympics". Vietnam Net Bridge. 30 June 2016. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
- ^ "Fencer Vu Thanh An to carry Vietnam's flag at Rio Games". Vietnam Net Bridge. 26 July 2016. Archived from the original on 29 June 2018. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
- ^ "Vietnam wants 2 medals at 2016 Summer Olympics". Thanh Niên. 23 July 2015. Archived from the original on 27 July 2015. Retrieved 12 October 2016.
- ^ "Rio 2016: Vietnamese Hoang Xuan Vinh wins silver for shooting". Thanh Niên. 11 August 2016. Retrieved 12 October 2016.[dead link]
- ^ "Rio Olympics 2016: Vietnam win first ever Games gold". BBC. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
- ^ "Hoang follows up gold with silver for Vietnam". FOX Sports. 11 August 2016. Archived from the original on 12 October 2016. Retrieved 12 October 2016.