From the Dao ethnic minority to the global stage.

On the summit of Slam Ve mountain in Bang Thanh commune, where the Dao ethnic minority village still lacks electricity, a young Dao girl has illuminated her own journey with a burning dream of playing volleyball. That dream has driven her to overcome many difficulties and step into the spotlight of the world stage. She is volleyball player Dang Thi Hong, captain of the Vietnam U21 national team.

Dang Thi Hong is currently the main attacker and captain of the Vietnam U21 women's volleyball team.

From a Dao village without electricity...

Traveling nearly 200km by car from the center of Thai Nguyen province, and then another 20km by motorbike along steep, winding, and dangerous dirt roads in the rain, we arrived at the home of Dang Thi Hong in Slam Ve village, which is perpetually shrouded in mist. Slam Ve village, Bang Thanh commune, is home to 100% Dao ethnic minority households. The entire village consists of poor and near-poor households, and Hong's family is one of them.

In the dim light from the mini-generator built by the family on a dam near the stream in the village, Hong's parents, Mr. Ta Van Phung and Ms. Dang Thi Ta, spoke about their daughter with eyes sparkling with joy.

According to Mr. Phụng, Hồng was born in 2006 and had a difficult childhood, like other Dao children in Slam Vè village. Because there was only a combined primary and secondary school in the village, from grade 3 onwards, Đặng Thị Hồng had to walk more than 15km along a dirt road to Nhạn Môn Semi-Boarding Primary and Secondary School, located in the former Nhạn Môn commune, now Bằng Thành commune, to attend school.

From a young age, she had to be independent early on, walking home with her older siblings from the village every weekend. At the boarding school in the highlands, during physical education classes on the clay court, she was introduced to volleyball and showed her talent.

Studying and training in a challenging environment, Dang Thi Hong soon demonstrated a strong will and a passionate love for volleyball. In 2021, through an acquaintance's introduction, she contacted teacher Vu Dinh Doan at Thai Nguyen Sports High School to apply for a volleyball talent class, but was rejected due to her short height and being too old to join.

Undeterred, Hong and her father traveled from Slam Ve village, braving the long, foggy journey from 4 am to Thai Nguyen Sports High School for the Gifted to take the entrance exam. There, Hong applied for a trial and was accepted into martial arts. After 10 days of training, an opportunity arose when the coaches allowed her to choose her favorite sport; she chose to train in volleyball.

In the early days, determined to "descend the mountain" to go to school, Hong's teachers were impressed by her shy girl with old shoes that were too big for her feet. Because she couldn't keep up with the other girls on the team, she had to work harder to train both physically and professionally.

However, according to teacher Vu Dinh Doan of Thai Nguyen Sports High School, the teachers were surprised by Hong's rapid progress in training. Feeling sorry for her illiterate father who had to sign her contract with the school using only his fingerprint, Hong felt she needed to train even harder to become a professional volleyball player who could travel to many places.

Stepping onto the world stage

Dang Thi Hong's determination and efforts have been richly rewarded. Having only started professional training in 2021, in 2022 she was part of the main squad of the Kinh Bac Bac Ninh women's volleyball team (on loan) to compete in the National Club Volleyball Cup.

From 2023 to the present, Hong has consistently been a key player for the Thai Nguyen women's volleyball team, competing in many important tournaments such as the National A-League Volleyball Championship, the National Club Volleyball Cup, and the National U23 Volleyball Championship, always maintaining a top ranking among the leading teams.

Dang Thi Hong (awarded the title of best attacking player) and the Thai Nguyen women's volleyball team won 3rd place at the 2025 National U23 Volleyball Championship.

Besides playing for the provincial team, Hong is also a key player who has attracted attention from many volleyball clubs. In the 2024 season, Dang Thi Hong was invited to play for Ninh Binh LPBank Club on a loan contract from her parent club in Thai Nguyen.

Despite being only 1.70m tall, Dang Thi Hong possesses excellent jumping ability. She attacks powerfully, saves and intercepts the ball with unwavering determination in all situations. Her aggressive playing spirit is increasingly attracting the attention of successful teams.

In 2025, Dang Thi Hong made a significant breakthrough when she was accepted by the Thai Nguyen women's team to join the Vietinbank women's team to participate in the 2025 National Volleyball Championship. Through each competition, Hong accumulated expertise and significantly improved her technique. She and the Vietinbank women's team achieved very good results in the first stage of the 2025 National Championship, losing only one match.

With impressive performances in tournaments at both club and youth levels, outside hitter Dang Thi Hong of the Thai Nguyen women's volleyball team has been selected for the Vietnam U20 women's volleyball team to compete in the 2024 U20 Asian Championship.

In her first international tournament appearance, Dang Thi Hong showed rapid maturity, displaying a playing style that combined strength and skill. She and the Vietnam U20 team made history by finishing 5th overall, securing a ticket to the 2025 FIFA U21 World Cup.

Mr. Nguyen Tuan Kiet, head coach of the Vietinbank Women's Volleyball Club, commented: "Hong started out playing for the Thai Nguyen team, which wasn't basically a strong national team, but with her talent, she managed to make it into the national U20 team. She is an inspiring phenomenon in a place where volleyball is almost undeveloped."

Last July, after finishing third in the 2025 National U23 Volleyball Championship in Thai Nguyen, Dang Thi Hong joined the Vietnam U21 team at the National Sports Training Center (Hanoi) to prepare for the U21 World Volleyball Championship, which will take place from August 7th to 17th in Surabaya, Indonesia.

With a thirst for knowledge and a relentless pursuit of self-improvement, Dang Thi Hong, a young woman of the Dao ethnic group, has proven herself worthy of being among Vietnam's talented young volleyball players. At just 19 years old, Dang Thi Hong still has a long way to go to perfect herself and further develop her skills in volleyball.

Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/the-thao/202508/tu-ban-dao-den-san-choi-the-gioi-82f1f9f/