Thailand easily topped the medal table, winning thirteen gold medals and 39 in total, while the host nation Vietnam came in second with eight golds and 31 altogether. The next best performing nations, the Philippines and Malaysia, were almost dead equal as each won eight events and sixteen medals overall. Singapore and Indonesia both won four golds each. Seven of the eleven nations present at the games won medals in athletics.
The quality of the performances in the events was highly variable: some competitions were closely contested at a level expected of the region, while others were far from an international standard – only one medal was awarded in the men's pole vault as only one athlete managed to clear the bar successfully.
