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| Some of Hue's outstanding female athletes at the 2026 National Sambo & Youth Championship |
Novel, but competing well
Duong Thi Quynh Nhu, a Judo athlete from Hue, won a bronze medal in the women's under-80kg Sport Sambo category while competing with the Vietnam Sambo team at the 30th SEA Games in 201.9 in the Philippines. That was also the only medal won by Vietnam Sambo at the regional games.
Notably, the Vietnam Sambo team had been established less than a month before the competition, while Quynh Nhu and other athletes had been learning the martial art for under three weeks.
Originating from Russia, Sambo-a variant of Judo-has its own distinct characteristics, notably a lower stance along with tackling, scooping, and lifting techniques. However, most of its remaining moves, such as throws, takedowns, locks, breaks, and chokes, are similar to wrestling, Judo, and Jujitsu. This allows athletes from these disciplines to adapt quickly.
This helps explain why, despite training in Sambo for only a short period, Quynh Nhu was able to quickly achieve success on the SEA Games stage. Beyond Judo, Hue sports also boasts a strong talent pool from wrestling and Jujitsu that could transition over if they choose to develop Sambo. Regrettably, Sambo was omitted from the competition program at the 31st, 32nd, and 33rd SEA Games. It was not until 2024 that Vietnam organized the Club Championship and National Championship, which temporarily stalled the development of the sport across provinces and cities, including Hue.
Nevertheless, after two years of participating in the national club and national championships with noteworthy results, the Hue Sambo team-comprising athletes drawn from wrestling-made a strong impact at the 2026 National Sambo & Youth Championship. Winning 9 gold, 9 silver, and 9 bronze medals, they finished first overall, topping strong contenders such as the Military, Ho Chi Minh City, and Hung Yen.
Even more notably, these achievements demonstrate that Hue sports possesses a squad capable of competing at the national level whenever Sambo tournaments are held, despite not yet having a dedicated department or specialized coaches.
Shift in approach
At present, Sambo in Vietnam is still in its early stages of development, while for provinces and cities, it remains a relatively novel martial art. This means many localities lack dedicated rosters and must rely on athletes from combat sports with similar technical foundations, such as wrestling, Jujitsu, Judo, and even Wushu or Kickboxing.
For Hue sports, the biggest hurdle currently is that Sambo has not yet been established as a separate department, alongside a lack of dedicated facilities and specialized equipment. Whenever entering a tournament, the squad is assembled from the wrestling department to form the national/provincial team.
Another difficulty is that Sambo has not yet been included in the competition program for the upcoming National Sports Games. Furthermore, Sambo is not mentioned in Hue City's high-performance sports development plan for the 2026-2030 period, leaving investment in this martial art in limbo. Following their recent success, failing to follow through with proper investment would be a missed opportunity; yet continuing to invest presents not only funding challenges, but also the need to resolve issues surrounding target quotas and strategic orientation.
Therefore, based on their overall first-place finish at the 2026 National Sambo & Youth Championship, a shift in approach is needed. Given the quality and depth of its wrestling, Judo, and Jujitsu athletes, Hue sports is well-positioned to further expand its Sambo roster. The 27-medal haul also demonstrates that investing in and organizing more systematic training could unlock a new development pathway for the city's high-performance sports.
From Quynh Nhu at the 30th SEA Games to the overall first-place finish in 2026, sufficient time has passed for Hue Sambo to shift from an experiment to showing clear potential. While athletes previously only sought familiarity and exposure, they have now secured noteworthy results at national-level tournaments. The remaining task is to capitalize on this potential early. As Vietnamese Sambo is still under construction and development, if Hue Sambo acts promptly to consolidate its roster, train athletes, establish a dedicated department, and compete regularly, it will play a key role in seizing the initiative, building its foothold, and becoming a promising medal mine to tap.