The unwavering bond of teacher-student affection

Vu Ngoc Loi - Nguyen Thi Huyen

On the day Vietnamese track and field queen Nguyen Thi Huyen retired from racing, coach Vu Ngoc Loi burst into tears like a child. The two shared a tearful embrace.

They have been close for the past 15 years, since Huyen was just a ninth-grade girl. Throughout Huyen's journey, Mr. Loi has always been present as a teacher and a father figure, guiding his unfortunate but resilient student.

“We’ve been close for exactly 15 years, so parting ways was very emotional, full of tears. When Huyen won two gold medals at the national championships but knew she wouldn’t be training with me anymore, we hugged and cried,” Coach Vu Ngoc Loi said, his voice still choked with emotion as he recalled that moment a year ago, when Nguyen Thi Huyen said goodbye to running to pursue a different path.

Coach Vu Ngoc Loi and his student Nguyen Thi Huyen

In 2015, Nguyen Thi Huyen created a "rain" of gold medals at the SEA Games and qualified for the 2016 Olympics. She was the first Vietnamese track and field athlete to achieve two Olympic qualifying standards in one competition. At that time, Mr. Loi surprised many people when he asked to give up his permanent position to his student. He said: "My family is stable now, my children are grown, have jobs and have started their own families. I'm also getting older, my salary is stable, so I want to give it to my granddaughter."

He recounted: “During training, there were times when Huyen was tired, couldn't meet the exercise requirements, lost focus, or was distracted by external factors. Sometimes we would get angry with each other, and I would scold her. But that didn't stop us from caring for each other. When things calmed down, I told her, 'Actually, I just want you to strive and keep striving until the end.' She was very well-behaved, sensible, and understanding. We just love and cherish each other, and we never stop caring for each other.”

Ho Thi Tu Tam - Truong Thanh Hang

In the Vietnamese athletics community, coach Ho Thi Tu Tam is like a loving mother to the middle and long-distance running team. She takes care of every aspect of their lives, from meals to sleep, always treating the athletes like her own children. This is the foundation that produced Asian champion Truong Thanh Hang.

Former runner Truong Thanh Hang, born in 1986, has an impressive career record. She won 2 gold medals, 1 silver medal, and 3 bronze medals at the Asian Athletics Championships; 2 silver medals at the Asian Games; and 7 gold medals and 1 bronze medal at the SEA Games. Behind these achievements is the invaluable contribution of her loving mother, Ho Thi Tu Tam.

In 2002, Hang moved from Ho Chi Minh City to Da Nang to join the national youth team, and by chance, she began working with Coach Tu Tam. Coach Tu Tam always believed that sacrifice was essential for success in the profession. This philosophy deeply resonated with Hang, as if she had found the truth for her future. Hang constantly reminded herself to be strong-willed and persistent in her pursuit of this career.

As a coach, Coach Tu Tam carries the noble mission of discovering raw talents and polishing them into shining stars. The two share similar thoughts, goals, and life perspectives. Therefore, Hang sees her as a kind mother figure, both on and off the training ground and competition arena. Despite her gentle nature, Coach Tu Tam is always strict when it comes to professional training sessions.

Hang remembers vividly: "During training, I was most afraid of not meeting the requirements of the exercises and being scolded by Ms. Tam. But looking back, those were the lessons that helped me become a better person."

Tran Anh Hiep – Nguyen Thanh Phuc

Thanh Phúc (center) next to his teacher Trần Anh Hiệp (left)

Twenty years ago, Nguyen Thanh Phuc met Coach Tran Anh Hiep when both were complete beginners. They knew nothing about walking and had to grope their way forward. The journey was arduous, and at times they considered giving up, but their willpower and ambition drove them to pioneer this sport. Over the past 20 years, they have reaped countless rewards. Their shared destiny has helped them explore and continue their journey to maintain and develop this sport.

To date, Vietnamese sports rarely has a coach-student pair who have been together for 20 years and are still continuing their journey, like "walking queen" Thanh Phuc and coach Tran Anh Hiep. Phuc recounts: "In 2004, I entered the world of sports and began being coached by Coach Hiep. At that time, he was the coach for the middle-distance running team. I was a runner, not a walker. He discovered my talent and advised me to switch, and he was the one who guided me."

At that time, Mr. Hiep saw in Phuc the rare resilience of an athlete. When Phuc started walking, she was only 14 years old, while Tran Anh Hiep was a recently graduated university student. Together, they nurtured the will to make a mark in this new sport. The pioneering journey of walking lasted a grueling two years. There were times when they wanted to give up.

“This is a unique sport; even the athletes find it boring, let alone the spectators. Running requires speed, while walking is tedious, like riding a motorbike in the same gear repeatedly. The runners take a long time to get used to, and seeing the coach sitting alone is also disheartening. Not to mention, I have a talent for running and I run well. The coach has professional running training but he rejected it to pursue walking. There were many times I wanted to give up… I don’t know what motivated me to overcome it. At that time, I thought I was young and wanted to challenge myself,” the female athlete born in 1990 confided.

And so, the two of them quietly progressed through time. The turning point came when Phuc won the gold medal at the 2015 Asian Youth Championships. From Southeast Asia, Phuc conquered Asia and even qualified for the Olympics.

In 2018, Phuc retired from his career but then returned and continued to prepare for upcoming tournaments, especially the 2025 SEA Games in Thailand.

Phuc said: “Over the past 20 years, we've shared countless memories. At the Southeast Asian Games, we might be competing tomorrow but still not know the route. So, we'd pack our bags and wander around aimlessly trying to find the route. I feel sorry for my coach; sometimes I want to retire, but he's always so meticulous and attentive to every detail, and I'm still training now.”

Vietnamese sports also have other famous coach-player pairs such as: Truong Minh Sang – Le Thanh Tung (gymnastics), Nguyen Dinh Minh – Vu Thi Huong (athletics), Lam Minh Chau – Le Quang Liem (chess), Dang Anh Tuan – Nguyen Thi Anh Vien (swimming)…

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/the-thao-viet-nam-sat-son-tinh-nghia-thay-tro-185241119201850872.htm