The draw, held on October 1, paired the 11th-seeded Vietnamese athlete with sixth seed Lee in a field of 16 competitors at the Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.
Loan, from Ia Krel commune in Gia Lai province, is one of six athletes representing Vietnam in the taekwondo sparring events.
Her opening opponent brings a strong international record. Born in 2008, Lee won gold at the 2024 World Junior Taekwondo Championships and took bronze in the 46kg division at the 2026 Asian Taekwondo Championships.
Loan returns to the under-49kg category after competing at 53kg, where she won silver medals at the 33rd Southeast Asian Games and the 2026 US Open, as well as gold at the 2026 CJ Vietnam Open.
She previously competed at under-49kg in 2022, winning the Southeast Asian Under-17 Championship.
The return to the lighter division presents a significant challenge, although specialists with Vietnam’s taekwondo team believe she remains a medal contender.
With some of Asia’s leading fighters competing in the division, the opening bout against Lee will provide an early test of Loan’s medal ambitions.