Swimmer Nguyen Thi Anh Vien (Photo VNA)

The 21-year-old swimmer convinced the 200 journalists who were voting with her superb performance at various competitions throughout the year. Apart from medals that she took in the United States where she is training, Vien was golden hope of Vietnam in all sporting events and she duly delivered. The athlete brought home two golds, one silver and set a new record at the Asian Indoor Games and Martial Arts (AIMAG) in September in Turkmenistan after eight top podium finishes along with three records at the Malaysian Southeast Asian Games in August. It was Vien’s strong comeback after the award in 2016 went to Olympic winning marksman Hoang Xuan Vinh. Previously, she had dominated the category for three years in a row between 2013 and 2015.