Vietnam's number one female tennis player Nguyen Thuy Linh is only seeded number two, so she falls into a bracket with many strong players in the Vietnam Open 2026 international badminton tournament.
Vietnam Open 2026 is part of the Super 100 Tour system of the Badminton World Federation (BWF), taking place at Nguyen Du Gymnasium, Ho Chi Minh City from September 8 - 13. The tournament has more than 300 players from 27 countries and territories, including many strong athletes with high positions on the world rankings participating.
The host players include Nguyen Thuy Linh (world number 29), Vu Thi Trang (90) and Bui Bich Phuong (215) competing in women's singles. Men's singles content includes Nguyen Hai Dang (79), Le Duc Phat (143), Phan Phuc Thinh (213). Nguyen Dinh Hoang - Tran Dinh Manh (100) are the only representatives of Vietnam in the men's doubles event. The main round of the women's doubles event includes Pham Thi Khanh - Pham Thi Dieu Ly (83), Vu Thi Trang - Bui Bich Phuong, Huynh Khanh My - Ngo Thuc Tran, Mai Thi Thanh Ngan - Nguyen Hai Ha, Nguyen Hoang Thien Kim - Nguyen Thi Ngoc Thuy. In the mixed doubles category, there are Tran Dinh Manh - Pham Thi Khanh, Pham Van Hai - Than Van Anh, Pham Van Truong - Bui Bich Phuong.
In previous Vietnam Opens, Thuy Linh was always the number one seed, and won three consecutive championships in 2022, 2023, 2024, and was runner-up in 2025. But this year, she is only ranked number two. The number one seed is Tanvi Sharma, a young Indian tennis player currently ranked 24th in the world.
Because she was only the second seed, Thuy Linh fell into the difficult bracket. Right in the first round, she had to face 19-year-old Chinese tennis player Xu Wen Jing. Xu was born in 2007 but has many remarkable achievements such as third place in Baoji China Masters 2026, champion of Ruichang China Masters 2026 (Super Tour 100). Just last month, Xu defeated Thuy Linh 2-0 in the first round of the Korean Masters.
If she surpasses Xu, Thuy Linh will continue to face challenges when sharing a branch with Isharani Baruah (India, seed number 3), Tung Ciou-Tong (Taiwan, seed number 5).
In addition to the players in the seeded group, Vietnam Open 2026 also has a men's singles star from Malaysia - "God of Hammer" Lee Zii Jia. This tennis player born in 1998 is the reigning Olympic bronze medalist. He used to be number two in the world, but an injury caused Lee to miss many tournaments in a row and now falls to number 54. But with a top star level, Lee Zii Jia is expected to attract the audience. Shogo Ogawa (Japan) is also a name worth waiting for. He won the Vietnam Open 2024, is currently ranked 68th in the world, but possesses a virtual fighting style and has defeated higher ranked opponents many times.
Mr. Nguyen Phuong Nam, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Badminton Federation, Head of the Organizing Committee, said that this year's tournament brings together many strong players because the players accumulate points for next year to find a place in the Olympics, and is also an important rehearsal for ASIAD at the end of the month. "With strong players, Vietnamese players will certainly face many difficulties. However, with home advantage, they can completely play confidently and create surprises," Mr. Nam assessed.
Vietnam Open 2026 has a total prize fund of 120,000 USD, of which the two singles champions both receive 9,000 USD. Double champions receive $9,480. Tickets to watch the matches cost 100,000 VND for September 8, 9, 10, 150,000 VND for the quarter-finals (September 11), 250,000 VND for the semi-finals (September 12) and 300,000 VND for the final (September 13).
