In the 10km event, Vien finished first with a time of 2 hours 30 minutes and 22 seconds, matching that of a male competitor and underlining her endurance in open water conditions.
She also secured gold in the 2km race, the women’s 30 to 39 age group, and the women’s team event, completing a dominant showing at the competition.
Oceanman is an international open water swimming series combining mass participation with semi professional competition, attracting former professional athletes, endurance enthusiasts and high level amateur swimmers. The 2026 Maldives edition brought together 532 participants from 40 countries and territories.
“This was my first time swimming 10km in the sea, an unforgettable experience. The Maldives waters are still blue and beautiful, but today’s 10km journey was not easy at all. I fought my hardest and reached the finish line with everything I had,” Vien wrote on her personal page.
Nguyen Thi Anh Vien is widely regarded as one of Vietnam’s greatest swimmers. She holds a record 25 gold medals at the Southeast Asian Games and has also won medals at the Asian Championships, Asian Games, Youth Olympics, Military World Games and World Cup events.
She also competed at three consecutive Olympic Games, London 2012, Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020, marking her presence at the highest level of the sport.
Following the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Vien retired from elite competition and has since focused on coaching and community activities.
