The flame of table tennis still burns after 50 years.

There are values ​​that remain constant, even after half a century. In the Vietnamese table tennis community, that is the story of the Tran family of table tennis players.

Mr. Tran Canh Tuan remains active in table tennis despite being in his 60s - Photo: Provided by the interviewee.

Fans of Vietnamese plastic ball games have undoubtedly heard of the legendary stories of famous players in the South more than 50 years ago.

Glorious for two generations

They are Mai Van Hoa, Le Van Tiet, Tran Canh Duoc, Tran Canh Den... - players who once climbed to the top of the world in table tennis.

Dominating from regional and continental arenas to the world stage, the aforementioned predecessors can be considered the first generation of Vietnamese athletes in sports history to achieve world-class recognition. Even more noteworthy, most of these Vietnamese table tennis legends have passed on their passion to future generations.

For the Tran family, the passion for table tennis remains strong in the second generation, with Mr. Tran Canh Tuan, son of Mr. Tran Canh Den, traveling all the way from the United States to continue the dreams of his father and uncle. Currently, Mr. Tuan is the vice president of the Vietnam Table Tennis Federation and, above all, a vibrant sports activist.

Mr. Tran Canh Tuan himself was a well-known Vietnamese table tennis player in the 1980s. Playing for the Song Be team, Mr. Tuan achieved considerable success in national-level tournaments. Alongside his professional football career, he also played professional football and later pursued a career as a table tennis coach after retiring from playing.

Mr. Tuan's table tennis career was interrupted for a time when he emigrated to the United States around 2000. However, his passion never faded. Even abroad, Mr. Tran Canh Tuan closely followed the table tennis scene in Vietnam. He recounted an instance where he even printed T-shirts to send as gifts to Vietnamese table tennis players living all over the world.

Mr. Tran Canh Den (father of Mr. Tran Canh Tuan) competed in a veterans' tournament at the age of 80 - Photo: Provided by the interviewee.

A burning desire for a global dream.

Thanks to his stable business in the US, Mr. Tuan had more opportunities to return to Vietnam in the 2010s. He maintained relationships with the table tennis community in the country, and each time he returned, he would join hands with like-minded individuals to organize prestigious tournaments.

In 2016, Mr. Tuan, together with Vietnam Television (VTV8) and the Da Nang Table Tennis Federation, organized a table tennis tournament called "Circle of Love," with the aim of supporting players in difficult circumstances and featuring a very interesting point handicap format.

Mr. Tuan was the one who came up with the idea of ​​point handicaps, meaning that weaker players could still compete on equal footing with professional-level opponents thanks to point handicaps. This idea helped the tournament quickly attract hundreds of participants from its first edition, and it continues to be held annually to this day. Besides that, he also founded many other tournaments such as the VTV8 Television Cup, the Former National Team Players Tournament, etc.

Not only is he actively involved in the sport, Mr. Tran Canh Tuan is also a prominent philanthropist in the table tennis community. For example, in 2018, he personally donated 500 million VND to the Vietnam Table Tennis Federation. Through the efforts of friends and relatives in the sport, Mr. Tuan ran for and was elected Vice President of the Vietnam Table Tennis Federation around the same time. He was re-elected in 2024.

In his second term, Mr. Tran Canh Tuan put forward a bolder idea - sponsoring athletes to compete abroad. This plan kicked off with an overseas trip at the end of 2024, when the Vietnamese table tennis team, with a core of about 10 outstanding coaches and athletes, traveled to the United States to participate in the US Open.

"Participating in these tournaments is very beneficial. First, it provides experience for the athletes, and second, it enhances our prestige. To develop table tennis to a continental level, we cannot just compete within the region. My plan is to have the national team participate in at least one world championship each year," Mr. Tuan shared.

Dreaming of the day Vietnamese athletes shine.

Indeed, it has been a long time since Vietnamese tennis players have had the experience of traveling abroad to participate in professional World Tour tournaments, instead of just competing in Olympic events – which are often labeled as "amateur." Mr. Tuan is the main sponsor of this trip and promises to continue supporting it in the future.

"What motivates a Vietnamese expatriate like you to keep the passion for Vietnamese table tennis alive?" we asked Mr. Tran Canh Tuan, and received a very honest answer from the former player, now in his sixties.

"My father and uncle were world-class table tennis players. My dream is to see Vietnamese athletes shine at the world championships again. Actually, many years ago, when I first returned to Vietnam, I didn't think about this; I just wanted to create more opportunities for my friends to gather and have fun. But the more I did it, the more passionate I became. Now, I think I'm truly inheriting the aspirations of my father and uncle," Mr. Tuan shared.

Mr. Tran Canh Tuan is leading Vietnamese table tennis athletes to participate in the 2024 US Open, with most of the funding provided by him - Photo: BBVN

Both brothers, Tran Canh Duoc and Tran Canh Den, made significant contributions to bringing Vietnamese table tennis to the top ranks of the world in the 1950s and 1960s. Mr. Duoc (the uncle of Mr. Tran Canh Tuan) was more prominent, compared to legends like Mai Van Hoa and Le Van Tiet, while Mr. Den was also praised for having the most beautiful playing style in the region at that time.

Together, that brilliant generation of table tennis players achieved a series of glorious feats, such as third place in the team event at the 1959 World Championships, a gold medal in men's doubles, a silver medal in the team event at the 1953 Asian Championships, and two gold medals at the 1958 Asian Games...

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HUY DANG

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/ngon-lua-bong-ban-50-nam-van-chay-20250421084149581.htm