A fascinating encounter between teacher and student.

Teacher and students reunite.

UPES' head coach, Pham Thai Vinh, was the mentor of assistant coach Nguyen Huynh Nam (Saigon Polytechnic College team) many years ago. In 2017, when he started building the UPES football team, Mr. Vinh called up student Nguyen Huynh Nam (born in 1995) as a forward. In their first participation in the national student football tournament in Ho Chi Minh City, Nam and his teammates achieved a runner-up finish and earned a ticket to the finals held in Hanoi . That season, UPES won the bronze medal.

Coach Pham Thai Vinh (left) and his former student - assistant coach Nguyen Huynh Nam

PHOTO: NGOC DUONG - PROVIDED BY THE SUBJECT

This afternoon, coach Vinh and his team will face each other in a fierce match to secure a spot in the play-offs. The winning team will finish first in the group and advance. Assistant coach Nguyen Huynh Nam shared: "When the draw for the group stage took place, knowing our team was in Group 1, with many strong teams, we always considered ourselves the underdogs. Therefore, we always train hard. Especially in the match against the defending champions - coach Vinh's team - this afternoon, we prepared thoroughly to start the game well."

Mr. Pham Thai Vinh said: "I'm used to high-pressure matches like this. Besides the high determination of the entire UPES team, there's something else that still makes me happy: my student is always polite, and his maturity is filled with the enthusiasm of an assistant coach. I often tell my students that after they graduate, they should try to use all their knowledge, skills, and experience to contribute to the school football movement. Nam has done a great job in that regard."

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/cuoc-cham-tran-ky-thu-cua-thay-va-tro-185250106235000721.htm