Behind the hat-trick of gold medals of CAND Table Tennis

The T&T People's Police Table Tennis Club (CAND T&T) has ended its journey at the 43rd National Table Tennis Championship of Nhan Dan Newspaper in 2025 with 3 Gold Medals and 3 Bronze Medals. CAND Table Tennis has surpassed last year's achievements (2 Gold Medals, 3 Silver Medals). A historic achievement if we know that the T&T People's Police Club was only established last year. Behind these special achievements are little-known stories.

Behind the Gold Medals

Sharing with us before leaving Da Nang, Coach Vu Manh Cuong of CAND T&T Club could not hide his emotion about the achievements of his students. Coach Vu Manh Cuong affirmed that the evening of May 26 will be a memorable memory in his coaching career. That was the evening of the men's singles final between athlete Dinh Anh Hoang (CAND T&T Club) and Nguyen Anh Tu ( Hanoi ).

CAND T&T Club won the Gold Medal in the Men's Team event of the 43rd Nhan Dan Newspaper National Table Tennis Championship in 2025. Photo: Duy Linh.

The player from CAND T&T Club won 11-2 in the first set. In the second set, Anh Tu adjusted his tactics and won against Dinh Anh Hoang with a score of 11-5, bringing the match to a 1-1 balance. However, after that, Dinh Anh Hoang played brilliantly and won the next 3 sets, 11-9, 11-7 and 11-6 respectively, to win the Gold Medal. This was also the first time Dinh Anh Hoang won a Gold Medal in this event at the Nhan Dan Newspaper National Table Tennis Championship.

It should also be added that before that, the SEA Games champion of CAND Table Tennis had never won against Nguyen Anh Tu at this tournament. The athlete from Hanoi is considered the number 1 player in Vietnam at present with a series of brilliant achievements such as SEA Games Gold Medal, Southeast Asian Championship... Therefore, Dinh Anh Hoang's victory over Nguyen Anh Tu surprised many fans.

To achieve the miraculous victory on the evening of May 26, Dinh Anh Hoang had to put in a lot of sweat and effort in training. Having practiced table tennis since he was young, Dinh Anh Hoang's talent was discovered by coach Vu Manh Cuong (then of T&T Club) in 2008. Recognizing the boy's potential, coach Vu Manh Cuong convinced Hoang's family to let the boy born in 2001 move from Dak Lak to Hanoi to practice and compete. After only one year of training at the club of Mr. Do Quang Hien, Hoang had achievements in the Youth and Children's tournament, laying the foundation for the young player to later win the SEA Games Gold Medal.

In addition to the men's singles final, the competition in the men's team final at the 43rd National Table Tennis Championship of Nhan Dan Newspaper in 2025 also created a lot of emotions for fans. The focus of the final was the competition between Nguyen Anh Tu and Le Dinh Duc (CAND T&T Club). And the surprise happened when the player of CAND T&T Club, although being rated lower, played brilliantly and won 3 consecutive sets against his senior Nguyen Anh Tu.

Dinh Anh Hoang competes in the men's singles final of the 43rd Nhan Dan Newspaper National Table Tennis Championship in 2025. Photo: Duy Linh.

Similar to Dinh Anh Hoang, Le Dinh Duc was also discovered and trained by coach Vu Manh Cuong when he was young. While training at T&T Club, an unexpected incident happened to Duc in 2013. “His limbs kept shrinking. Duc was later diagnosed with very severe juvenile idiopathic ankylosing spondylitis. If not treated promptly, he would certainly be paralyzed and unable to walk.

Luck came to Duc when that year Mr. Do Quang Hien decided to help. With the humane purpose of saving Duc's professional career, if not saving his career, at least helping him to walk and live like a normal person, Mr. Hien paid for the tennis player's medical treatment.

At that time, each tube of medicine for Duc's treatment cost more than 20 million VND. During the treatment, when receiving the first 5 injections, Duc had no reaction but after the 6th injection, he went into shock, but fortunately there were no complications. During the time he was sick, Duc could not walk. Coach Vu Manh Cuong and the members of the coaching staff took turns carrying Duc from the 1st floor to the 5th floor for daily activities and treatment. After more than 3 years of perseverance, with the cost of up to several hundred million VND, a relatively large amount in 2015, Duc gradually recovered and returned to competition.

Sweet fruits from socializing sports

The latest achievements of Le Dinh Duc and Dinh Anh Hoang in particular and CAND table tennis in general partly show the correctness of the cooperation policy between CAND Sports and T&T Group. After the CAND T&T Club was established (May 2024) with the cooperation between the Ministry of Public Security and T&T Group, CAND table tennis immediately "changed its skin".

In just the first year after its establishment, the CAND T&T Club has achieved a series of impressive achievements: First place in the 2024 youth tournament with 13 Gold Medals, then exceeded the target at the 42nd Nhan Dan Newspaper National Table Tennis Championship. Entering 2025, the hat-trick of Gold Medals by Hoang and Duc and their teammates continued to affirm that the right direction. In addition, it is impossible not to mention the U15 Gold Medal of young talent Nguyen Van Tuan Anh at the 2025 Southeast Asian Youth Table Tennis Championship.

Dinh Anh Hoang won the Gold Medal in the men's singles event at the 43rd Nhan Dan Newspaper National Table Tennis Championship in 2025. Photo: Duy Linh.

Sharing with us, Coach Vu Manh Cuong shared that, with the cooperation of T&T Group, right before the 43rd National Table Tennis Championship of Nhan Dan Newspaper, 12 athletes of CAND T&T Club, including Duc and Hoang, were sent to train in China - the world's leading country in table tennis.

During the training in the host country, the athletes of the CAND T&T Club trained and competed with many world-class athletes, as well as received very scientific nutritional and medical care. As a result, after returning home, the athletes' achievements immediately changed.

“In the past, every time he played against Nguyen Anh Tu, Hoang always used a defensive style of play. But at the 43rd National Table Tennis Championship of Nhan Dan Newspaper, Hoang boldly took the initiative to attack. I think his improved physical strength and technique after the training trip to China is part of the reason for this change,” said coach Vu Manh Cuong.

For experts, the progress of Le Dinh Duc and Dinh Anh Hoang is a good sign for the CAND T&T Club in particular and Vietnamese table tennis in general. However, reaching the top is difficult, but maintaining that top is even more difficult. To maintain form and improve achievements, athletes will always need to focus on training and competition to hone their competitive ability.

With resources mobilized from the socialization process, the T&T Police Club will certainly create the best conditions for athletes to practice and compete, thereby improving their skills towards higher goals.

Source: https://cand.com.vn/the-thao/dang-sau-hat-trick-huy-chuong-vang-cua-bong-ban-cand-i769804/