The championship held from July 9 to 12 at Ninh Binh Provincial Gymnasium, brought together the region's top karate athletes to compete in kata and kumite events across youth, cadet, junior, under-21 and senior divisions. As an official tournament under the Asian Karate Federation calendar, the event also served as an important opportunity for participating nations to assess their athletes and prepare for upcoming continental and world competitions.
On the closing day, July 12, Vietnamese karate athletes added four more gold medals to finish the tournament with a total of 29 gold, 31 silver and 27 bronze medals, successfully defending the overall team title. Indonesia finished second, while Malaysia placed third.
In the individual events, Nguyen Ngoc Tram successfully defended her women's individual kata title after defeating the Philippines' Torres Rebecca Cyril 4-1 in the final. The victory marked her second consecutive Southeast Asian championship title and her third straight appearance in the regional final.
Meanwhile, Hoang Thi My Tam continued her impressive form in the women's kumite 61kg category, defeating Malaysia's Adnan Zakiah by a commanding 8-0 margin in the final to retain the gold medal she won at the 2025 Southeast Asian Championship.
According to the Organizing Committee, this year's championship featured a high level of competition, with many of Southeast Asia's top karate athletes producing exciting contests throughout the tournament. Beyond the sporting achievements, the event also helped promote the image of Vietnam and the host province of Ninh Binh to international visitors.
According to the Southeast Asian Karate Federation, Malaysia will host the 2027 Southeast Asian Karate Championships.
Nguyen Khang