However, just one or two such competitions a year is not enough to elevate Vietnamese table tennis. Therefore, longer-term and stronger support from more businesses is still needed.
Accumulate expertise, accumulate opportunities.
Recently, VietED (Vietnam Smart Education Technology Joint Stock Company) fulfilled its commitment to sponsor female table tennis player Nguyen Khoa Dieu Khanh to participate in the World Table Tennis Championships (WTT). Although Dieu Khanh was initially awarded a spot in Oman after winning the women's singles title at the 2024 Southeast Asian Table Tennis Championships, an injury caused her to miss that opportunity. VietED reserved the funds and decided to sponsor her to compete in the WTT Kazakhstan (August 30th - September 5th). In addition to Nguyen Khoa Dieu Khanh, VietED will also sponsor Vietnam's number one male table tennis player, Nguyen Anh Tu, to participate in this tournament.
Both will compete in men's and women's singles and doubles events, thereby maximizing their opportunities for experience and maximizing the effectiveness of their investment in the competition trip. For Anh Tú, this is his second time participating in a WTT tournament. Nearly a year ago, Nguyễn Anh Tú also participated in the tournament in Kazakhstan with the support of VietED. That year, Nguyễn Anh Tú only competed in the men's singles event and was eliminated in the first round.
The cost for an athlete to participate in a tournament in Kazakhstan is not publicly disclosed. However, according to calculations by coaches who regularly send athletes to compete in Kazakhstan, the cost including travel, food, accommodation, competition fees, etc., is approximately 100 million VND per person.
In July 2025, table tennis player Nguyen Khoa Dieu Khanh, along with the Tran Viet Thang Notary Office table tennis team, participated in the 2025 Southeast Asian Club Championships in Thailand and won the runner-up title. Notably, the team's participation was entirely funded through social contributions. Besides Dieu Khanh, the team also included Nguyen Duc Tuan – the men's singles champion at the 31st SEA Games – and many other famous players. After this competition, Dieu Khanh stated: “Competing internationally helped me learn many styles and tactics, as well as maintain my competitive edge. Athletes like me really hope to compete internationally regularly like this.”
We hope to have more businesses partner with us.
Compared to other individual sports like badminton and chess, Vietnamese table tennis has very few opportunities to participate in international tournaments. In these sports, support from family, governing bodies, and businesses is already common for athletes. For example, in badminton, with the support of businesses, governing bodies, and the Vietnam Sports Department, along with a well-planned communication strategy, badminton player Nguyen Thuy Linh (Dong Nai) reached world number 18. This is also the best ranking achieved by a Vietnamese female badminton player. Similarly, in chess, players like Banh Gia Huy, Dau Khuong Duy (Hanoi), and Pham Tran Gia Phuc (Ho Chi Minh City)... thanks to support from their families and businesses, have been able to compete internationally continuously to achieve their goal of becoming an International Grandmaster before the age of 20.
Meanwhile, table tennis continues to struggle with the issue of funding for its key players. For example, since the beginning of 2025, due to limited funding, Vietnamese table tennis has been unable to participate in the Asian Cup and the World Championships. Prior to that, in 2024, the situation was similar, with the national table tennis team having few international competitions.
Former national team coach Le Huy frankly stated: “What Vietnamese athletes lack most is international experience. Without training and competing abroad, it's very difficult to improve. In that case, the goal of winning a SEA Games gold medal becomes even more challenging with only a few key athletes.” Meanwhile, table tennis player Nguyen Anh Tu shared: “Table tennis is a competitive sport, and every international match is a valuable lesson. Therefore, we athletes always yearn to compete internationally.”
According to experts, if Vietnamese athletes compete in 6-8 international tournaments each year, their skill level will far surpass its current level. Furthermore, competing in tournaments recognized by the International Table Tennis Federation will also help athletes improve their world rankings.
In fact, there was a period when Vietnamese table tennis had no players on the world rankings. The absence from the ranking system wasn't just about ranking; it was a sign of a table tennis system that wasn't integrated into the global scene. Conversely, the more players on the rankings, the more it indicates sustainable development of the sport.
A positive sign is that in the last two years, the model of socializing the participation of Vietnamese table tennis players in competitions has yielded concrete results. For example, in 2024, nearly 10 Vietnamese players participated in the 2024 US Open thanks to sponsorship from businesses. Similarly, VietED and several other businesses have also supported athletes in tournaments in Indonesia and Kazakhstan. However, according to VietED Director Pham Ngoc Hieu, more businesses are needed to help players participate in approximately 6-8 international tournaments each year. The Vietnam Table Tennis Federation has also identified socialization and finding additional resources from businesses to support athletes in international competitions as a top priority. Without addressing this bottleneck, it will be very difficult for Vietnamese table tennis to move beyond the "SEA Games goal."
Only then can we dream of stable rankings in the world or continental medals.
Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/bong-ban-viet-nam-khat-co-hoi-thi-dau-quoc-te-712141.html
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