As one of the three Vietnamese boxers playing Boxing SEA Games 31 on May 19, Trinh Thi Diem Kieu was mentioned a lot before the tournament when she played in the same weight as Nguyen Thi Thu Nhi. There was information that Thu Nhi instead of Diem Kieu fought SEA Games, but in the end, the match still belonged to the army's boxer.
Playing in the most prestigious arena in the region, in front of thousands of spectators at Bac Ninh Provincial Stadium, Diem Kieu proved that she had a capacity to reach the SEA Games with her strength. With the bravery of an experienced boxer, Diem Kieu defeated HTOO with the bravery of a veteran puncher.
Entering the match with Htoo, Diem Kieu constantly moved and attacked as soon as the opportunity. The play of military boxers helped her win the absolute victory in the first half. 5/5 inspection simultaneously scored victory for the host country. Entering the second half, Kieu's attack was slightly reduced but she was still 3/5 of the referee.
Diem Kieu overwhelmed the opponent
With the score obtained in the second half, the victory almost belonged to Diem Kieu. That advantage helps Vietnamese boxers continue to play confidently in the last half to win the final. At the end of the match, the referee announced that Diem Kieu won by the point before HTOO, thereby officially reaching the 48kg final of the female.
Diem Kieu's opponent in the final is Chuthamat Raksat, Thai boxer. In the previous match, Raksat excelled to beat Philippine boxers Josie Gabuco Anape to go to the last match. Diem Kieu had 2 days off before the gold medal against Raksat on 22/5.