'Little bee' is good at soccer, passionate about work

We still remember the moment Tri Hieu slid on the grass to celebrate, his knee was bruised when he scored the goal that broke the deadlock for UPES last season - thanks to that goal, UPES played brilliantly, won 3-0 against Ho Chi Minh City University of Agriculture and Forestry and won a ticket to the semi-finals. And also Hieu, on January 13, his face lit up when he scored a goal, in UPES' impressive 9-0 victory over Ho Chi Minh City University of Banking at TNSV THACO Cup 2024.

“Chú ong nhỏ” giỏi đá bóng, say công việc- Ảnh 1. — Tri Hieu - the hard-working "little bee" of UPES team

"I started playing soccer in grade 3, participating in many amateur tournaments between schools in the district. My mother still keeps the gold, silver, and bronze medals from soccer tournaments from when I was little," Hieu recalled. Also because of his love for soccer, seeing the image of college students playing soccer looking "cool", Hieu searched for information and took the exam for the physicaleducation major of UPES and was selected to join the school's soccer team. Small in stature, the shortest in height on the team, but he soon scored points as a "hardworking, diligent little bee with a cute personality". This is also a male player highly appreciated by Dr. Pham Thai Vinh, head coach of UPES.

Mr. Vinh praised: "Not as skillful and cool as Minh Nhat, not as fast and agile as Huy Hoang, but Tri Hieu is the most effective and dangerous player in midfield. In terms of total goals scored for UPES in the past 2 years, in major tournaments, Hieu is only second to Nhat, but remember that Nhat is a center forward and Hieu is only an attacking midfielder. In particular, the contribution of this small but powerful player was in the first Vietnamese Youth Student Tournament - 2023, he contributed to scoring decisive goals to help UPES advance deep into the tournament and win the bronze medal".

Tri Hieu not only scores on the football field, he is also praised by his teachers and teammates for his diligence in everyday life. As the youngest of three brothers in Cu Chi District, Ho Chi Minh City, his father is a barber and his mother is a grocery store owner, Hieu started working early to earn extra income. His house is very far from the university, so every day Hieu rides his motorbike, going back and forth 80 km each day. Since his second year of university, after school, he has worked as a waiter, serving food in restaurants and eateries, sometimes working from afternoon to night to get paid 100,000 VND/session. Since his third year, the male player has been teaching at community football centers in Cu Chi District every weekend. Recently, the 22-year-old man has completed a teaching internship at a secondary school in Binh Tan District, Ho Chi Minh City. The students were initially surprised by the small teacher, but after learning that he was a prolific scorer in the UPES team, they admired him and even invited him to play soccer with them.