Quang Ninh, May 10 (VNA) – Vietnam on May 10 secured the gold medal in the men’s beach handball after beating the Philippines 2-1 at the 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31).

The hosts Vietnam completely won victory in five consecutive matches, scoring 10 points. Vietnam successfully defended their crown though they still have a match against Thailand on May 11.

At SEA Games 30 in the Philippines three years ago, Vietnam also brought home the gold medal.

With the victory, the men’s beach handball is expected to further develop in Vietnam in the coming time, head coach Trinh Huy Cuong said.

The matches are taking place in Ha Long city, home to UNESCO-recognised Ha Long Bay, in the northern province of Quang Ninh.

On May 10, Vietnamese divers Nguyen Quang Dat and Dang Hoang Tu won a bronze medal in the men’s 3m springboard after scoring 251.46 points.

In the category, Malaysia’s duo Jellson Bin Jabillin and Hanis Nazirul Jaya Surya won the gold medal with 345.93 points, ahead of Jonathan Fan Keng and Max Lee Shen Oon from Singapore with 322.5 points.

A day earlier, diver Ngo Phuong Mai and her teammate Mai Hong Hanh also secured a silver medal for Vietnam after they achieved the second highest score in the women’s synchronised 3m springboard event.

After six out of eight events, Malaysia is taking the lead with six golds and two silvers, followed by Vietnam with two golds, two silvers and two bronzes./.