INTERNATIONAL: Vietnam closed out a successful 31st Southeast Asian (SEA) Games on Monday 23 May with celebrations and performances in Hanoi.

The competition began on 12 May and saw athletes from 11 member countries of the ASEAN bloc competing in 40 different sporting events.

Host nation Vietnam topped the games with 205 gold medals, followed by Thailand and Indonesia, with 92 and 69 respectively.

Vietnam also successfully defended their Men's soccer gold with a 1-0 win over Thailand.

During the closing ceremony, the Cambodian national anthem was heard loudly in the Vietnamese Olympic Stadium as Vietnam handed over the SEA Games flag to the delegation from Cambodia, who will host the 2023 competition in Phnom Penh.

SEA Games competing Cambodian athletes will return to Phnom Penh this evening, 24 May, and will be greeted with a celebratory parade to commemorate the achievements of these medalists who have made Cambodia proud.

Cambodia's final medal tally for the SEA Games was 9 Gold, 13 Silver, and 41 Bronze. Cambodia won a total of 63 medals, beating its previous record total of 53 medals won in Kuala Lumpur in 1971. Cambodia also beat its previous record of 8 gold medals won in Myanmar in 2013.

^{PHOTO: ខឹម សុវណ្ណារ៉ា}