Referee Hoang Ngoc Ha (left) receives encouragement from President of Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) Tran Quoc Tuan - Photo: NGOC LE
On the afternoon of July 1, at the V-League Awards 2024 - 2025 gala, Mr. Hoang Ngoc Ha was honored with the "Golden Award for Best Referee of the Season" (Golden Whistle). This is the fourth time he has received the highest honor of the refereeing community, after 2019, 2020, 2024.
Primary school teacher and love of football
Most professional football referees in Vietnam do not work as full-time referees. They often work in multiple jobs such as: physical education teachers, civil servants, sales staff, coaches, and even businessmen. Refereeing is mostly a side job for the men in black.
Referee Hoang Ngoc Ha is also one of them. Mr. Hoang Ngoc Ha was born in 1983, his main job is a physical education teacher, currently teaching at Nam Trung Yen Primary School ( Hanoi ).
Like many other teachers, Mr. Hoang Ngoc Ha teaches every day, with an intensity of about more than 20 periods per week. He is usually in charge of grades 1 and 3. At school, Mr. Ha is known as a good teacher, passionate about sports, especially football. In addition to teaching, Mr. Ha sometimes coaches the school's football team.
In addition, Mr. Hoang Ngoc Ha also participated in many tournaments as a player and played very well. In 2024, at the Vietnam Workers and Civil Servants Football Tournament organized by the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor and Tuoi Tre Newspaper , Mr. Ha was also a player for the teachers' football team of Cau Giay District.
FIFA referee Hoang Ngoc Ha is the best referee in Vietnam - Photo: TTO
With two jobs, teaching and refereeing, Mr. Hoang Ngoc Ha has two sources of income, enough to support his wife and two children. One is a career with responsibility, the other is a passion. To be able to maintain two jobs at the same time, Mr. Ha, like many other referees, must arrange his time skillfully.
Whenever he has to run a major competition domestically or internationally, Mr. Hoang Ngoc Ha always receives support from Nam Trung Yen Primary School to arrange appropriate teaching.
The refereeing profession requires a strong physical foundation. So after work, Mr. Ha goes to work out, either on the running track or in the gym with weights. FIFA referee Hoang Ngoc Ha is also an active member of a running club in Hanoi. There are times when he runs more than 100km a week to maintain his physical strength - something that few referees in Vietnam can do.
Members of Mr. Ha's running club were also impressed when they learned that he was both a teacher and the best referee in Vietnam, but still "swept the road" from 10-20km on the running track every day.
To the golden whistle record
With over 20 years in the profession, referee Hoang Ngoc Ha has built a reputation and is known as one of the top FIFA referees in Vietnam. 4 "Golden Whistle" awards are enough to prove the ability, prestige and consistent performance of this "black shirt king".
Referee Hoang Ngoc Ha has a straightforward, straightforward and strong personality. These are the qualities that make a decisive and strict referee on the field.
In the football world, from coaches, managers to players, many times whisper to each other about the reputation of referee Hoang Ngoc Ha. Every decision he makes on the field, not many players dare to argue back. When a player reacts strongly, Mr. Ha does not hesitate to snarl, roll his eyes and warn, forcing the player, no matter how angry, to quietly turn away. That is the authority of referee Ha.
The 2019 season was a record season for referee Hoang Ngoc Ha when he issued 63 yellow cards, 2 red cards and blew 7 penalties, "scary" numbers for the V-League - Photo: NGOC LE
In 10 years of refereeing the V-League, the number of mistakes made by FIFA referee Hoang Ngoc Ha can be counted on the fingers of one hand. The VFF Referee Board highly appreciates the courage of referee Ha, so they often assign him to officiate important matches with a lot of pressure. But no matter how tense the match is, referee Ha still completes his task excellently.
Refereeing is a dangerous profession, and mistakes are inevitable. During his career as a referee, Mr. Ha has been attacked and insulted many times by fans, players, and team members. Many referees have quit the profession due to the pressure and complexity of football.
But Mr. Hoang Ngoc Ha is still there, persistently pursuing his passion. The determination, talent and courage of referee Hoang Ngoc Ha become an example for future generations of young referees in Vietnam.
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NGOC LE
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/trong-tai-fifa-hoang-ngoc-ha-thay-giao-tieu-hoc-thiet-lap-ky-luc-coi-vang-20250701224123787.htm
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