Vietnamese spirit burns brightly among five continents

The sweat, tears and blood of many generations of athletes have been shed so that the Vietnamese flag can fly proudly on the international stage.

The "diamond" girls go against the wind to the World Cup

"When I represented the Vietnamese women's team at the event before the 2023 World Cup, entering the auditorium, the delegation of the International Federation of Football Associations (FIFA) asked: "Where is the Vietnamese delegation sitting?". I raised my hand high and said: "We are here, we are here". The whole auditorium applauded, congratulating the Vietnamese women's team on winning a ticket to the World Cup. Until now, I still have not calmed down the feeling of pride", Coach Mai Duc Chung recalled the moment nearly 3 years ago, when he and the "diamond" girls went against the wind and storm to reach the world arena.

The Vietnamese women's team has achieved resounding success over the past two decades.

Photo: Ngoc Duong

In 2022, the Vietnamese women's team wrote a new page in the history of the country's sports when they finished 5th in the 2022 Asian Cup, winning 2 play-off matches to participate in the World Cup for the first time. Right before the tournament, while training in Spain, Nguyen Thi Thanh Nha and her teammates were infected with Covid-19 in a friendly match, when half of the opponent's team tested positive. The epidemic spread quickly, and close to the departure date, only 5 players remained uninfected.

The entire team stayed in Spain, while the members who did not have Covid-19 went to India to attend the Asian Cup first. "There was a training session with only 5 players. Even with the coaching staff joining in, there were still not enough 11 people," Huynh Nhu recalled, adding: "But no one gave up. The whole team was determined to fight for the pride of Vietnam."

To recover quickly, some players just stay in the sauna room until their noses bleed, and do physical exercises. "Everyone wants to recover quickly to continue pursuing a World Cup ticket. Every time we have a hard time, we look up at our chest, where the national flag is in our hearts," the old "general" Mai Duc Chung said with tears in his eyes.

Heaven does not disappoint, the Vietnamese women's team has steadfastly overcome challenges to advance step by step to the 2023 World Cup. From the rice fields, when the girls walked barefoot in their first days of playing football, to setting foot on the velvety grass at the World Cup, the Vietnamese women's team has gone through a thorny journey. That journey bears the bold footprints of the bravery and resilience of Vietnamese women, marking the tireless efforts, so that the Vietnamese flag can fly for the first time on the world stage.

"Sometimes, I still think back to everything the Vietnamese women's team has been through. When almost the entire team contracted Covid-19 before the tournament, we could not have imagined that we would overcome the thorny journey together so resiliently and wonderfully. It was like a dream... The moment I saw the red flag with a yellow star fluttering, and the Vietnamese national anthem playing at the World Cup will always be kept in a special place in my heart," a player recounted.

U.23 Vietnam brings unforgettable emotions to fans at the 2018 U.23 Asian Cup

Photo: NGOC LINH

Bullet of Faith

The flame of Vietnamese will and aspiration has forged the "pure gold" spirit of many generations of talented athletes. Those who are willing to conquer the limit, swallow the tears of failure so that one day they can "rise up from the mud and shine brightly". The 2016 Olympic gold medal is one of the pinnacles representing the brilliant and proud Vietnamese spirit.

Before the final round of the men's 10m air pistol event at the 2016 Rio Olympics, the stadium was filled with cheers. Brazilian shooter Felipe Wu was 0.2 points ahead of Hoang Xuan Vinh, and excellently scored 10.1 points on the last shot. To win the gold medal, Hoang Xuan Vinh had to shoot at least 10.4 points. Surrounding him was the pressure from the home crowd, who were ready to celebrate Felipe Wu's gold medal. In the stands, coach Nguyen Thi Nhung was heartbroken, not daring to look at the scoreboard.

Hoang Xuan Vinh aimed carefully at the bull's eye for 31 seconds, then calmly and coldly fired. With 10.7 points, he became the Olympic champion.

"I used to think that the Olympic medal was too high for me to conquer. But all the most beautiful and quintessential things in me converged and exploded at the right moment. In my mind at that time, there were only two words, beautiful and sacred Vietnam," Hoang Xuan Vinh still had overwhelming emotions when recalling the 31 historic seconds. Coach Nguyen Thi Nhung, the "steel rose" who accompanied Hoang Xuan Vinh through many failures, once confided that Xuan Vinh had come close to glory many times, but missed it just because he lacked a little achievement. He got up after the failure, maintained a disciplined and neat lifestyle, and learned to adjust his mental balance. In the shooting range, he only knew that in front of him was the bull's eye, and above him was the national flag.

"In my heart, I always believe Vinh will win the championship and I want Vinh to tell himself that he will be the champion. Stand up straight, take a deep breath, look straight at the goal, put aside all the pressure to make his homeland proud," coach Nguyen Thi Nhung shared. On the podium that day, army colonel Hoang Xuan Vinh cried. The strong, serious image when competing was no longer there, giving way to very natural emotions, when he had crossed his own limits, conquered himself to bring glory to the country. And when the Vietnamese women's football team attended the 2023 World Cup, Hoang Xuan Vinh met the younger generation, the younger generation... to give advice: "Mental strength will do everything. With faith, we can do it."

Proud Vietnamese flag

The Vietnamese spirit shines not only in the glory of championships or medals, but also in the way we deal with failure. 7 years ago,

Coach Park Hang-seo once told his players "not to bow your heads" when U.23 Vietnam lost to U.23 Uzbekistan in the final of the U.23 Asian Cup by a goal in the last minutes. At that moment, many players collapsed on the field, sobbing, but Mr. Park reminded his players to keep their heads high, because when they have tried hard enough, there is no reason to feel regretful or remorseful.

In the white snow in Changzhou (China), the talented generation of U.23 Vietnam has ignited the brilliant fire of youth, aspiration and the spirit of never giving up. A generation representing football that was once considered physically weak, has now fought on equal terms with the powerhouses of this sport such as Korea, Australia, Qatar, Uzbekistan, going through tough physical matches, overcoming not only the threshold of physical strength, but also prejudice and skepticism. The Vietnamese flag that central defender Do Duy Manh planted fluttered proudly in the snow, like the indomitable will of the "descendants of the dragon and the fairy" generation for generations: not succumbing to adversity, but resilient and resilient like sunflowers, reaching out to the light even in storms.

"I am Vietnamese"

Vietnamese sports are not lacking in athletes who, despite losing, still maintain their elegance, grace and the spirit of "not being discouraged by defeat". Even today's champions have experienced yesterday's failure. The important thing is that they do not give up, but always stand up where they fell. Vietnamese sports have their icons, however, the Vietnamese spirit can sometimes be found in the most ordinary and least famous athletes. Behind the stage, behind the halo, are silent contributions and sacrifices, silent injuries and sufferings, so that one day they can wear the red flag with a yellow star, sing the national anthem with pride, and hold their heads high and say "I am Vietnamese" among the five continents and four seas.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/tinh-than-viet-nam-ruc-chay-giua-nam-chau-185250828193615729.htm