Vi Thi Nhu Quynh: Thai girl reaching for the sky

Extraordinary Thai ethnic girl

From a remote village in Tuong Duong ( Nghe An ), where the sound of spring festival drums mixed with the rhythm of gongs, few people expected a Thai ethnic girl to become a bright star of Vietnamese volleyball .

At the age of 23, Vi Thi Nhu Quynh – 1m75 tall, modest compared to international standards (usually 1m83–1m90) – still makes the whole world look up.

Nhu Quynh Vietnam Poland Volleyball 3.jpg — Nhu Quynh shines, making the whole world look up. Photo: Volleyball World

What's special is that Quynh entered the volleyball career much later than her peers.

In Vietnam, many athletes are discovered at the age of 11-12, while in volleyball powerhouses, main attackers often start at the age of 9-10.

Quynh has been practicing professionally since the age of 15 - nearly half a decade behind international standards.

Yet after only a few years, from a barefoot girl on the mountain, Quynh became the number one striker of Than Quang Ninh and quickly joined the national team.

Behind her slim figure is a resilience and a will that moves many people. Born into an ethnic minority family, Quynh understands what hardship is.

Nhu Quynh Vietnam Poland Volleyball 2.jpg — Nhu Quynh strongly scored against the Polish " wall " . Photo: Volleyball World

The jump of 290 cm (attack height - spike) and the block of 285 cm (block height - block) are not simply numbers, but proof of the desire to overcome all limits of Quynh in particular and Vietnam in general .

For Quynh, each smash is not only a score, but also a message from the mountains and forests of Nghe An to the world.

Reach for the sky

The memorable moment for Nhu Quynh and Vietnamese women's volleyball came in the opening match of the World Championship in Thailand.

The opponent was Poland – a team with “giants” who were much taller. But in that match, the Thai girl, who was only 1m75 tall, scored 20 points, entering the top 10 scorers in the first round, standing shoulder to shoulder with international superstars like Magdalena Stysiak – the opponent she had just met .

Every shot that broke through the towering Polish barrier made the hearts of Vietnamese fans flutter. Because everyone knew that from now on , Vietnamese volleyball would not only depend on Thanh Thuy (or Bich Tuyen, who did not participate in the tournament) – we had a new mountain named Nhu Quynh.

Nhu Quynh Vietnam Poland Volleyball 1.jpg — Quynh's blocking moves are also very impressive. Photo: Volleyball World

The world can easily be fascinated by 1m90 hitters, but it is difficult to ignore an ethnic minority athlete who dares to write a fairy tale with resilience.

At the 2025 Asian Club Championship, Quynh once made the continent admire with 97 points in the entire tournament, winning the title of Best Striker, contributing greatly to bringing VTV Binh Dien Long An to the runner-up position ; or recently, the championship of the 2nd stage of SEA V.League 2025 - ending the domination of Thai women.

The press calls her the "steel hitter" of Vietnamese volleyball, but in the eyes of the audience, Quynh is simply a Thai girl who knows how to dream and dares to turn her dreams into reality.

Nhu Quynh's journey is proof that sports are not only measured by height or achievements, but also by will.

From a poor village, the Thai girl has reached the sky of world volleyball, bringing pride to Vietnamese fans, as well as representing the entire ethnic minority community that always yearns to assert itself.

Perhaps, that is the reason why even though she is only 1m75 tall, Vi Thi Nhu Quynh still makes the whole world look up to her. Because height can be measured by a ruler, but aspiration can only be measured by the sky.