According to the latest International Chess Federation (FIDE) standings, Vietnam climbed three places from the previous month to 29th in the Mixed category, returning to the top 30 chess-playing nations worldwide.
Compared with its position before the 2026 Chess Olympiad in Uzbekistan in September, Vietnam has gained seven places. It rose from 36th to 32nd in October before making further progress this month. In last month's rankings, Vietnam had already moved ahead of traditional chess powers such as Italy and Norway.
The improvement was driven largely by performances at the Olympiad. Despite being seeded 47th, Vietnam's men's team finished 19th overall and won gold in Group B. The women's team also outperformed its 21st seeding, finishing ninth.
Several Vietnamese players made significant individual gains following the tournament. Nguyen Quoc Hy gained 46 Elo points, while Banh Gia Huy added 20, with both achieving grandmaster norms. In the women's competition, Nguyen Thi Mai Hung remained unbeaten across nine rounds, winning an individual silver medal on board five and earning an additional 29.4 Elo points.
Vietnam's young players also delivered strong results in October. Vu Nguyen Bao Linh won silver in the girls' U15 category, while Nguyen Manh Duc took bronze in the U15 open event at the World Youth Chess Championships in Spain.
The Vietnamese women's team had previously climbed from 31st to 24th in the separate women's rankings. The results highlight contributions from the men's and women's squads, as well as younger players, to the country's growing standing in international chess.