The strong 'shoulder' of U.23 Vietnam star Nguyen Hieu Minh: Wherever you go, your parents follow!

In the past 11 rounds of V-League 2025 - 2026, Nguyen Hieu Minh started all 11 matches and played a full 990 minutes for PVF-CAND. He was also an important factor when U.23 Vietnam won the U.23 Southeast Asian Championship and entered the U.23 Asian Finals.

Talking about Hieu Minh, we cannot help but mention the special story about his family's love and sacrifice for their son to pursue his football dream.

Hieu Minh (left cover) with family

PHOTO: NVCC

INseparable love

Born in Thach That ( Hanoi ), Hieu Minh came to football from matches on the village brick field. At the age of 9, he was accepted into the PVF Training Center - starting a journey away from home of nearly 2,000 km when PVF was headquartered in Binh Chanh (HCMC). Missing his parents made the boy cry every night. Understanding that, Hieu Minh's parents decided to "go South", moving the whole family to Ho Chi Minh City, opening a small shop just so their son could study football in peace. When PVF moved to the North (in Van Giang, Hung Yen), his family closed the shop, then moved back to the North, continuing to stand by their son. It was that silent companionship that created a solid spiritual foundation for the young central defender.

Hieu Minh in the Vietnamese national team jersey

Photo: Dong Nguyen Khang

Growing up in a professional environment and with the wholehearted support of his family, Hieu Minh quickly asserted himself. From the shortest boy on the team, in 2017 he began to make a breakthrough in both physique and performance. After only 4 years, he was over 1.8 m tall - one of the players with the most impressive height in the PVF U.19 generation that won the 2021 National U.19 Championship. At the U.19 Finals that year, Hieu Minh had a time when his performance declined due to pressure. However, when his family traveled from Hanoi to Binh Duong to cheer him on, he seemed to be re-energized and regained his spirit to win the championship with his teammates.

That pride was even greater when he and U.23 Vietnam won the U.23 Southeast Asian Championship in 2025. When U.23 Vietnam returned home, his entire family - from his parents, aunts to cousins ​​- went to Noi Bai airport to welcome him. "I am very happy that my son contributed to U.23 Vietnam's journey. Not many central defenders score goals, so when we saw Hieu Minh score, we were very happy," said Mr. Nguyen Tien Quang (Hieu Minh's father).

COI R ONALDO IS AN IDOLS

Hieu Minh started his career as a defensive midfielder. Later, when he was assigned to play as a central defender, he gradually revealed his qualities: the ability to read situations, compete strongly and maintain good team distance. He was always aware of his psychological weaknesses, so he constantly learned and practiced. Outside of the training ground, he often watched videos of the world 's top central defenders playing to hone his skills.

"I like Cristiano Ronaldo's saying: Talent is useless without hard work. At PVF, inspirational quotes are hung on every path or classroom. I often stop to read and remind myself to be more determined every day," Hieu Minh shared. That hard work has brought sweet results. In two consecutive seasons, he has been one of the most stable players of PVF-CAND. He was voted the Best Young Player of the First Division in the 2024-2025 season. At the age of 21, he is not only a pillar of PVF-CAND but also the top choice of coach Kim Sang-sik in the campaign to win the 33rd SEA Games gold medal. From the shy boy he was, he is now a key central defender, carrying great aspirations with U.23 Vietnam.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/bo-vai-vung-chai-cua-sao-u23-viet-nam-nguyen-hieu-minh-con-di-dau-bo-me-theo-day-18525111021463399.htm