Homeland is a cluster of sweet starfruit.

It's been 3 years since I last celebrated Tet (Lunar New Year) at home.

Until the day Huynh Nhu and the Vietnamese women's national team went to India for the 2022 Asian Cup right at the beginning of the new year, and then chose to develop her career in Portugal, the girl from Tra Vinh could not believe that she had gone three consecutive springs without being able to celebrate Tet (Vietnamese New Year) in her homeland.

Huynh Nhu is the top scorer for the Vietnamese women's national team.

"You have to go far to truly yearn for the day you return," Huynh Nhu recalled. In 2022 in India, the captain of the Vietnamese women's national team celebrated New Year's Eve with her teammates in a warm meal. Many players had just recovered from Covid-19, just in time for the tournament. Celebrating Tet (Vietnamese New Year) away from home, the team felt nostalgic, not sad. Because the Vietnamese women's national team was burning with the spirit of competing for a ticket to the 2023 World Cup. Amidst the hectic training and competition schedule, combined with the anxious days of… testing, Coach Mai Duc Chung and his players held hands tightly, determined to create glorious history for Vietnamese football. That Tet, for Nhu, though far from family and parents, was filled with the warmth of camaraderie between coach and players, and colleagues. That Tet was truly joyful and special!

Huynh Nhu's parents and she went out for a spring outing.

Photo: FBNV

Huynh Nhu and her mother

Then Huynh Nhu had another experience celebrating Tet (Vietnamese Lunar New Year) in Portugal. This time, it wasn't with the Vietnamese national team playing far from home, but something very different. After two years playing for Lank FC, Tet abroad wasn't as lively as in her homeland, nor was it as emotionally turbulent as the Asian Cup in India. The 34-year-old striker's busy schedule with Lank FC probably helped her ease her homesickness to some extent.

Everything just came crashing down when the girl from Tra Vinh received a call from her parents: "Every year I'd been with my parents, but at that moment I could only see the whole family through my phone screen. My mother called and filmed the house decorations for me to watch so I wouldn't miss them so much. My parents told me to take care of my health, to focus on competing, and to stay strong far away. I was so moved, I wished for nothing more than to be home then, enjoying the early spring sunshine, instead of the biting cold, in a place... full of snow in Portugal."

During those days away from home, Huynh Nhu received the love and affection of the Vietnamese expatriate community in Portugal. Nhu recalled that Tet (Lunar New Year) at Lank FC was very simple: going to the market to buy flowers to decorate the place, calling her family, treating herself to a delicious meal, and then putting on her shoes to go back to the field to… ease her homesickness. Then, in the spring of last year, Nhu received an invitation from an acquaintance to celebrate the New Year in Porto on the first day of Tet. Without hesitation, she bought a train ticket, set off to celebrate Tet, and returned the same day.

Huynh Nhu (second from the left) and the joy of victory with her teammates at Lank FC.

Huỳnh Như's time at Lank FC was synonymous with being "alone." Playing alone, taking care of herself alone. Once, she sprained her ankle, but the club doctor was already past working hours, so Như had to apply ice and medicine herself at home.

There aren't many Vietnamese people in Portugal, but they're always there whenever Huỳnh Như needs them. Some bring food and gifts, some invite her over for a cozy meal, and some offer encouragement. She recounts: "Being far away makes you realize how much our compatriots love and support each other. Vietnamese people care for each other genuinely; sometimes it's just a simple gift like a piece of ham, sesame salt, rice balls, a fish or a shrimp, but everything is so sincere, it touches my heart." All of these have become priceless memories that the striker, born in 1991, will always carry with her throughout her life.

Cultural Ambassador

Huynh Nhu has contributed to changing Vietnamese women's football, and of course, football has also changed the life of what is considered one of the most outstanding players in the history of Vietnamese women's football. From being a little girl playing football with the boys at the market with her father, kicking a leather ball her father gave her until her legs were scraped, to striding on the velvety smooth grass of the World Cup stage, and then becoming the first Vietnamese female player to compete in Europe, Nhu has come a very long way, and sometimes, "when I close my eyes, I still think this is a dream, a beautiful dream."

Huynh Nhu shared that she is always proud to be a "brown-skinned, black-eyed Vietnamese woman, fragrant and indomitable like a lotus branch," as in the song "One Round Around Vietnam." On the miraculously beautiful football journey that Nhu has written with sweat and tears, this girl also plays the role of a "cultural ambassador" of Vietnam.

In the photo album on Huynh Nhu's phone, the pictures of her teammates at Lank FC, whom she always considered like younger siblings, are still intact. These photos are especially significant because the Lank players, whether from Portugal or the United States, were all delighted with the traditional Vietnamese ao dai dress and conical hat that Huynh Nhu, the "ambassador," brought with her.

Huynh Nhu wore a conical hat and a checkered scarf, a quintessential Vietnamese look, while abroad.

"Nhu's teammates love wearing the ao dai (traditional Vietnamese dress). They borrow my ao dai, try it on a few times, and then... ask for more. The players at Lank are extremely fond of the ao dai and conical hat. Whenever Nhu goes back to Vietnam on leave and then returns to the club, they always ask if 'the eldest sister' brought any gifts from Vietnam. I tell my teammates about how beautiful my homeland, Vietnam, is, with its lush green and yellow fields, about the incredibly delicious food that you'll never forget after just one bite, about the beautiful land with its rivers, mountains, seas, and lakes, and about its generous, loving, and compassionate people. Wherever I go or whoever I meet, if someone asks about Vietnam, I'm always ready to tell them everything, and then 'persuade' them to come to Vietnam if they have time. I'll be their amateur tour guide, showing them the most beautiful places in my homeland," Nhu recounted.

Perhaps Huynh Nhu's biggest regret is not being able to bring her teammates from Lank Stadium to Vietnam for a vacation.

"I just want more international friends to know about my homeland, and I remind myself never to stop striving for my country's colors, to contribute to my homeland in one way or another," Như shared.

NEW YEAR'S WISHES

After two years of adventure at Lank Stadium filled with special memories, Huynh Nhu has returned home. The five-time winner of the Vietnamese Women's Golden Ball has signed a contract with the Ho Chi Minh City women's team, the club that nurtured her football dreams and propelled the 34-year-old striker to the pinnacle of her career. Nhu's aspiration is to contribute to the Ho Chi Minh City women's football team's journey to the Asian stage, aiming for a spot in the AFC Women's Champions League. Thanks to Nhu's goals, the team has reached the quarterfinals and will continue to dream of a miracle in March.

Huynh Nhu in the loving embrace of her family.

A pause arose in my conversation with Huynh Nhu, with the question of whether she still wanted to go abroad. The girl from Tra Vinh could fluently talk about her country, about football, about past experiences without hesitation. However, when faced with the choice of whether to go abroad in 2025, Nhu's eyes held a hint of worry and deliberation. At 34, the most prolific goalscorer in the history of the Vietnamese women's national team is no longer young. Should she go to learn more, or stay and prepare for the next step after retirement? Nhu will find the answer to that question in 2025.

In the new year, Huynh Nhu plans to both play football and pursue a master's degree in physical education at Ho Chi Minh City University of Education. She also harbors the ambition to obtain a coaching certificate so she can pursue a coaching career. Whether she becomes a physical education teacher, a head coach, or any other profession, Nhu's only aspiration is to do her job well.

However, that's a matter for the future. This Tet holiday, the dutiful daughter of Mr. Huynh Thanh Liem and Mrs. Le Thi Lai is ready to go into the kitchen to cook and clean, so that the small kitchen in their loving home will once again be filled with laughter. "I miss home, I miss Tet so much, I can't wait any longer," Huynh Nhu said, her face brightening with a smile. Whenever she talks about her family, her eyes light up.

The wishes of the "golden girl"

When asked what she wished for in the new year, Huynh Nhu dedicated her first wish to her family: "I wish for my grandparents, my father Liem, my mother Lai, and all the members of my family to always be healthy. At this age, nothing is more precious than health."

Huynh Nhu's second wish was for football: she hoped the Ho Chi Minh City women's team would create a miracle in the AFC Women's Champions League, that the Vietnamese women's national team would maintain its position in Southeast Asia, succeed at the SEA Games 33, and qualify for the 2026 Asian Cup. Finally, Nhu thought about herself.

"At the end of my career, I hope I can eat healthily, have the strength to train and compete well. I hope I will always strive and never back down from difficulties. I hope 2025 will be peaceful for everyone," Như said gently.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/huynh-nhu-que-huong-la-chum-khe-ngot-185250103150312411.htm