Former Olympia contestant 'changed his life' from an email sent to VTV

Editor Nguyen Hoai Dam (born 1990, Huong Son, Ha Tinh ), has worked at Vietnam Television since 2013. Despite his successful career, few people know that he was once a contestant on the 8th edition of Road to Olympia (born 2007).

In that year's competition, Nguyen Hoai Dam won the first prize of the week, the first prize of the month and entered the second quarter match. However, the Olympia journey ended with the third prize of the quarter, making the 11th grade male student regretful.

Hoai Dam is an Olympia contestant in the 8th year. (Photo: NVCC)

Life-Changing Email

Talking to VTC News, editor Hoai Dam said Olympia is not just a competition, but the first door that helps him open up to the big world , going beyond the small school to find development opportunities.

"Back then, I competed not because I wanted to prove or win the championship, but because I wanted to know how far I could go. 'Far' sometimes just meant going to Hanoi , going to VTV, seeing real cameras. For a child from a poor countryside, that was a dream. Not being able to go further into the next round made me regretful," Mr. Dam recalled.

Although he did not win a ticket to the Finals, his appearance at the Olympia studio “ignited” Hoai Dam’s love for the television industry. Mr. Dam will never forget the first time he witnessed the backstage of the competition: Bright lights, cameras panning all over the studio, meticulously arranged props, and the crew racing to be on air on time. Every professional and meticulous process overwhelmed the mountain student.

“ The audience only sees a few brilliant hours on TV, but I am captivated by the long day of work behind it. From that moment, I 'nurtured' the dream of becoming the person behind the lens, telling real stories, touching real people,” the editor shared.

Witnessing the post-production of the Olympia contest "sowed the seed" of Hoai Dam's dream of becoming a television editor. (Photo: NVCC)

Leaving Olympia, Hoai Dam chose a new start. Determined to pursue journalism, he passed the entrance exam for the Television Journalism major at the Academy of Journalism and Communication. Thanks to his efforts in studying and training, in his second year, he won a scholarship to study abroad in Journalism at Irkutsk State Technical University (Russia).

The years in Irkutsk trained Hoai Dam to take on journalism. Here, he and other Vietnamese students founded the "Student Newsletter": writing, filming, editing and distributing it to the Vietnamese community in many countries. With no studio, the team stretched out green cloth as a backdrop and used cameras instead of camcorders to work.

Recalling that time, Mr. Dam said that although there was a lack of material things, he was always full of joy. The experiences helped him realize that a good editor not only needs technical skills, but also needs to know how to tell life stories with a genuine and emotional perspective.

Editor Hoai Dam during a work session (Photo: NVCC)

After graduating, Hoai Dam chose to return to Vietnam to contribute to the national television. In 2012, he proactively contacted MC Tung Chi (then Head of the Game and Meeting Department on TV 3, Sports - Entertainment and Economic Information Department) to ask for an internship, and received a response after only 5 days. The email content was brief, but opened a big turning point in the young man's life.

“ I often joke that an email can change your life. The day I entered the building at 844 De La Thanh (VTV3), I didn't think I would be here for so long. It's not just a career milestone, but a milestone of faith. Just dare to knock on the door with sincerity, the door will open ," Hoai Dam shared.

Success comes when you believe in yourself

Before joining Vietnam Television, Hoai Dam had many years of experience as an editor and presenter. He participated in producing news, reports, and television programs on several different channels, then became a staff member of VTV5 since 2014.

Here, Mr. Dam became the News Editor of the Ethnic Language Television Department, a familiar face on news, political and science programs of VTV5 and VTV2.

Nguyen Hoai Dam is a familiar face on news, political and science programs of VTV5 and VTV2 (Photo: NVCC)

In addition to his professional capacity, Hoai Dam was also recognized as an outstanding young Party member in studying and following Ho Chi Minh's ideology, morality and style in 2025; and received the title "Advanced Youth following Uncle Ho's teachings" in 2023 awarded by the Youth Union of Central Agencies.

Currently, Nguyen Hoai Dam holds the position of Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union of Vietnam Television. To do well in this position, the task of a leader is not to "call out", but to become a support for members to feel the team spirit and inspire them to work.

After nearly 2 decades, no longer a contestant of Olympia, Hoai Dam "transformed" into an exemplary Youth Union Secretary, MC, editor leading and transmitting information to the audience. Through many roles, he realized that the greatest value of the job is not how long it "burns", but being able to pass that fire to many generations. People working in television or working in the Youth Union have something in common: believing in the power of inspiration, trust and kindness, thereby spreading value through daily work.

Editor Hoai Dam is currently the Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union of Vietnam Television (Photo: NVCC)

Hoai Dam said that until now he still follows and loves Road to Olympia. There are questions that he has to laugh because… he can no longer answer.

" Today's generation of contestants makes me admire. You are much smarter, quicker and more confident. What I value most about them is not their scores, but their spirit of daring to press the bell, daring to try, daring to make mistakes, daring to accept the results. Because after all, Olympia does not only teach knowledge, but also teaches us how to step up to the podium to answer questions in our own lives ," the former Olympia contestant affirmed.

Through his own efforts and experiences, Hoai Dam hopes that the younger generation will understand that every first step is the hardest. Once a person who was afraid of failure, he learned to turn passion into reality, instead of choosing one or the other.

"No journey is smooth, but every time you dare to try, you go further than you were yesterday. Youth is the time to stumble, to stand up, to continue. If you still believe in what you are doing, that is already a success," editor Hoai Dam said.

LINH NHI

Source: https://vtcnews.vn/cuu-thi-sinh-olympia-doi-doi-tu-mot-email-gui-toi-vtv-ar985565.html