Linh finished first in the women's 1,500m event in a time of 4min 30.74sec, leaving nine other runners far behind.

Nimali Waliwarsha of Sri Lanka came second with 4:32.39 while Savinder Singh of Malaysia was third on 4:38.30.

Linh, the two-time Asian U18 champion, will seek another title in the 5,000m on the next day.

It was the first medal of Vietnam in the five-day tournament.

In the women's discus, Le Thi Kim Dung threw 49.97m to win silver and in the men's hammer, Dinh Thanh Nhan also won silver with a distance of 55.99m.

More medals are expected when former Asian relay champion runner Le Thi Tuyet Mai competes in the women's 400m category.

Vietnamese athletes are taking part in 11 of the 45 events at the Open, which features hundreds of athletes from across Asia, serving as a key warm-up event ahead of the 33rd SEA Games, which will be held in Thailand from December 9 to 20. /.