About 3,000 delegates, spectators, and members of sports delegations participated in the ceremony.

Performances at the event highlighted Vietnam as a country deeply imbued with traditional identity while intensively integrating into the global community.

A performance at the 31st SEA Games closing ceremony in Hanoi, May 23, 2022. Photo: Nam Tran / Tuoi Tre

A performance at the 31st SEA Games closing ceremony in Hanoi, Vietnam, May 23, 2022. Photo: Nam Tran / Tuoi Tre

Individual awards were handed out to the Games’ best athletes – Vietnam’s Nguyen Thi Oanh and Nguyen Huy Hoang, Thailand’s Joshua Robert Atkinson, and Singapore’s Jing Wen Quah.

Oanh won three individual gold medals in athletics; Hoang earned five golds in swimming events, in two of which he broke SEA Games records; Atkinson claimed four golds in running with one record-setting achievement; and Jing pocketed six golds in swimming, including one that set a new record in women’s 200m butterfly.

Vietnam’s Nguyen Thi Oanh (R, 1st) and Nguyen Huy Hoang (R, 2nd), a representative of Thailand’s Joshua Robert Atkinson (L), and Singapore’s Jing Wen Quah (R, 3rd) receive honor as the 31st SEA Games’ best athletes at its closing ceremony in Hanoi, May 23, 2022. Photo: Nam Tran / Tuoi Tre

Vietnam’s Nguyen Thi Oanh (R, 1st) and Nguyen Huy Hoang (R, 2nd), Thailand’s Joshua Robert Atkinson (L), and Singapore’s Jing Wen Quah (R, 3rd) receive honors as the 31st SEA Games’ best athletes at the closing ceremony in Hanoi, Vietnam, May 23, 2022. Photo: Nam Tran / Tuoi Tre

After speeches by Vietnam SEA Games organizing committee chair Nguyen Van Hung and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, the Games were officially declared closed.

The SEA Games flame was then put out, before the flag was handed over to Cambodia, which will host the 2023 edition of the Games.

The SEA Games flag is handed over to Cambodia, where the next Games will take place in 2023. Photo: Nam Tran / Tuoi Tre

The SEA Games flag is handed over to Cambodia, where the next Games will take place in 2023. Photo: Nam Tran / Tuoi Tre

The 31st SEA Games, which boasted 526 categories in 40 sports, kicked off on May 12 and took place in Hanoi and 11 nearby localities.

Vietnam ranked first in the medal standings with 205 gold, 125 silver, and 116 bronze medals, setting a new gold medal record in the biennial event’s history. 

A performance by Cambodia, which will host the 2023 edition of the SEA Games, at the 31st SEA Games closing ceremony in Hanoi, May 23, 2022. Photo: Nam Tran / Tuoi Tre

A performance by Cambodia, which will host the 2023 edition of the SEA Games, at the 31st SEA Games closing ceremony in Hanoi, Vietnam, May 23, 2022. Photo: Nam Tran / Tuoi Tre

Thailand, with 92 golds, 103 silvers, and 136 bronzes, placed second, and Indonesia, which bagged 69 golds, 91 silvers, and 81 bronzes, finished third.

They are followed by the Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Brunei, and Timor Leste, respectively.

Volunteers parade at the 31st SEA Games closing ceremony in Hanoi, May 23, 2022. Photo: Nam Tran / Tuoi Tre

Volunteers parade at the 31st SEA Games closing ceremony in Hanoi, Vietnam, May 23, 2022. Photo: Nam Tran / Tuoi Tre

A performance by Cambodia, which will host the 2023 edition of the SEA Games, at the 31st SEA Games closing ceremony in Hanoi, May 23, 2022. Photo: Nam Tran / Tuoi Tre

A performance by Cambodia, which will host the 2023 edition of the SEA Games, at the 31st SEA Games closing ceremony in Hanoi, Vietnam, May 23, 2022. Photo: Nam Tran / Tuoi Tre

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!