The story of a boy from Pac Ta village of Lai Chau who won a prestigious athletics medal at the Asian arena

TPO - In the middle of the Northwest mountains and forests, where terraced fields wind around the mountain slopes, Pac Ta commune, Lai Chau province is not only famous for its New Rice Festival but also for nurturing a special talent of Vietnamese athletics. That is Bui Tuan Tu, a Lai Chau athlete who just won a silver medal at the 2025 Asian Youth Games taking place in Bahrain.

Tu's story began by chance. During a joint business trip between Lai Chau Runner Club and the Provincial Sports Training Center to attend the New Rice Festival in Pac Ta, coach Nguyen Tien Tung noticed a small but agile boy with strong legs and bright eyes whenever he saw the running field. A short physical test later opened up a life-changing opportunity for the highland boy.

Bui Tuan Tu (left) won a silver medal at the 5th Asian Youth Sports Championships in 2025.

In October 2023, Bui Tuan Tu was officially recruited to the Lai Chau Provincial Sports Training Center. After just over a year of training, he has shown outstanding talent and perseverance. At the 2024 National Athletics Championships, Tu and his teammates excellently won the Gold Medal in the 4-distance mixed relay (1200m - 400m - 800m - 1600m). That medal not only brought joy to Lai Chau sports but also affirmed the potential of a young talent from the borderland.

In October 2025, great news came to Lai Chau sports when Bui Tuan Tu was chosen as one of two flag bearers for the Vietnamese Sports Delegation at the Opening Ceremony of the 5th Asian Youth Games held in Bahrain. In the moment when the Vietnamese national flag fluttered among dozens of flags of other countries, the image of the 16-year-old boy from Pac Ta moved many people.

At the 2025 Asian Youth Games, despite having to compete with many strong Asian opponents, he still maintained his composure, confidently competed, and made an impressive breakthrough in the final round to bring home a valuable silver medal, contributing to affirming the increasingly solid position of Vietnamese youth athletics in the regional arena.

Bui Tuan Tu (left) is a member of the Vietnamese sports delegation attending the Asian Youth Games.

Coach Nguyen Tien Tung, the first person to discover and guide Tu, shared: “Tu is a special student. He has a rare will, discipline and love for sports at the age of 16. If he continues to be trained in the right direction, I believe he will go even further.”

Mr. Tran Van Cong, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Lai Chau province, who directly joined the working group to discover Tu in Pac Ta, commented: “Tu’s story shows that sports can originate from the cultural life of the people. From a traditional festival, we discover talent, and from that talent, the image of Lai Chau people becomes more confident, friendly and aspirational.”

When asked about his dream, Bui Tuan Tu just smiled gently and said: "I want to continue to strive to compete in the ASEAN Schools Games, achieve high results and bring glory to Lai Chau sports, to the Fatherland."

From a highland boy discovered during the New Rice Festival to a young athlete carrying the national flag in the Asian arena, Bui Tuan Tu has written a beautiful story about the will, aspiration and pride of the people of Lai Chau today.

Source: https://tienphong.vn/chuyen-ve-cau-be-tu-ban-lang-pac-ta-cua-lai-chau-gianh-huy-chuong-dien-kinh-danh-gia-tai-dau-truong-chau-a-post1790622.tpo