At this year’s competition, the Vietnamese taekwondo team competed in the sparring category with four athletes: Tran Ho Nhan Van, Nguyen Hong Trong, Nguyen Thi Mai, and Nguyen Thi Loan. Among them, Nguyen Thi Loan delivered the best performance, becoming the only Vietnamese athlete to reach a final match.
The women’s 53kg division featured 45 competitors. Nguyen Thi Loan showed strong form throughout the tournament, defeating several opponents in the earlier rounds to secure a place in the final. In the decisive match, she faced Nivea Barros of Brazil. Despite a determined effort, Nguyen Thi Loan was unable to overcome her opponent and finished with the silver medal.
In other categories, Nguyen Thi Mai competed in the women’s 49kg division but did not win a medal. Meanwhile, Tran Ho Nhan Van and Nguyen Hong Trong also fell short of the podium in their respective sparring events.
The 2026 U.S. Open Taekwondo Championships is part of the World Taekwondo ranking system, offering athletes valuable opportunities to earn points and gain international experience in preparation for the qualification rounds for the 2028 Olympic Games. It also marked the first international competition for the Vietnamese taekwondo team in 2026.
During the tournament, Korean expert Kim Kil Tae served as head coach, guiding the Vietnamese athletes with the aim of improving their technical skills and gaining further international exposure.
At the end of the competition, Vietnam ranked 16th overall with one silver medal, while host nation the United States topped the medal table with three gold, five silver, and seven bronze medals.
Before the sparring events, Vietnam also achieved success in the poomsae competition. Athlete Chau Tuyet Van won the gold medal in the women’s U40 individual category and added a bronze medal in the mixed pair freestyle poomsae event.
Nguyen Khang