Vietnam Women's Sepak Takraw Wins ASIAD 20 Gold: Nearly 4 Billion VND in Hot Bonuses and Special Preferential Treatment

Vietnam's women's sepak takraw team has won the Gold Medal at the 20th Asian Games (ASIAD 20) held in Nagoya, Japan, marking a historic milestone for the nation's sports. This achievement not only brings national pride but also opens an unprecedented reward and preferential treatment mechanism for the participating athletes and coaches. According to Government Decree No. 349/2026/ND-CP on bonus and preferential treatment regimes for athletes achieving high results, each athlete winning an ASIAD Gold Medal will receive a bonus of 280 million VND. In addition to the one-time bonus, athletes also enjoy a special preferential treatment regime of 20 million VND per person per month, extending from the time of the result until the next ASIAD Games, equivalent to approximately 48 months. Specifically, each athlete will receive a total of approximately 1.24 billion VND from the state budget, including 280 million VND in hot bonuses and 960 million VND in special preferential treatment (20 million VND x 48 months). With three athletes on the team, the total central budget bonus reaches nearly 3.72 billion VND, equivalent to the "nearly 4 billion VND" figure cited by the press. Notably, two of the three athletes, Nguyen Thi Thu Trang and Nguyen Thi Khanh Ly, are on the payroll of Hanoi city. According to Resolution No. 82/2026/NQ-HDND of the Hanoi People's Council, athletes from this locality also receive an additional bonus of 140 million VND per person. Furthermore, Hanoi's special preferential treatment for ASIAD Gold Medal athletes is 33.5 million VND per person per month, multiplied by 48 months, equivalent to approximately 1.608 billion VND per person. Thus, each Hanoi athlete's total income from both budget levels could reach nearly 1.748 billion VND, not including other bonuses. Coach Hoang Thi Thai Xuan, who directly led the team, also enjoys a bonus regime under current regulations at 50% of an athlete's bonus, equivalent to approximately 620 million VND from the state budget. This is an incentive mechanism linking the coach's responsibility and income to athlete performance, a notable point in Vietnam's sports policy. In addition to the bonuses under the aforementioned decree and resolution, the women's sepak takraw team also receives a hot bonus of 200 million VND from the Vietnamese sports delegation. This amount is determined separately and is not included in the figures above. Additionally, bonuses from federations and sponsors are also recorded but their specific values have not been announced. Aggregating all bonus sources from the central budget and Hanoi city for three athletes and one coach (excluding the 200 million VND hot bonus and sponsorships), the total estimated value exceeds 8 billion VND. This figure reflects the level of attention and investment from the state and local authorities in top-level achievements at the continental arena. However, analysts also note that the special preferential treatment mechanism extending to the next ASIAD depends on the Games cycle and budget. The actual value of this income depends on maintaining the policy and the Games organizing cycle, rather than being a fixed amount paid immediately. In addition, the difference in bonus levels between the two athletes on the Hanoi payroll and the remaining athlete on the team also raises questions about uniformity in preferential policies across localities. In terms of expertise, this is a historic Gold Medal for Vietnamese sepak takraw at the ASIAD arena. Sepak takraw is internationally governed by the Asian Sepak Takraw Federation (ASTAF) and the International Sepak Takraw Federation (ISTAF), competing within the framework of the Asian Games under the management of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA). This is a traditional sport of Southeast Asia, where countries such as Thailand, Myanmar, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Laos have long affirmed their position. The Vietnamese women's team winning the continental championship shows the remarkable progress of Vietnamese sepak takraw in the region. This achievement is also expected to create positive spillover effects on the sepak takraw movement in the country, especially in Hanoi where the city government has an attractive preferential treatment mechanism. The issuance of Resolution 82/2026/NQ-HDND could become a policy model for other localities to reference, thereby contributing to improving the living standards and dedication motivation of high-performance athletes nationwide. Some information about the specific venue and time of the match has not been fully verified from official sources, so figures and timelines related to the competition time are considered data pending confirmation. The bonus and preferential treatment figures above are compiled from legal documents and published information, reflecting the current incentive mechanism for high-performance sports in Vietnam.