The 'peppercorn' boy and his journey to conquer many sports

The "pepper" boy

I first met Pham Thach Tung - also known by his other nickname Soc Kevin (born in 2007) when he was under 10 years old. At that time, he was one of the youngest members of a Hip-hop dance center, and also one of the top contestants of the dance competition "Tiny Hero" - a famous TV show on HTV in 2015 - 2016. At that time, the Nghe An boy with a small stature was evaluated by the judges, who were the top dancers in Vietnam, as a promising contestant, talented and completely capable of succeeding in the professional dance career. However, only a short time after winning the second prize of this competition, people did not see Soc participating in dance classes anymore, teachers and friends all felt sorry. At this time, at the suggestion of his parents, Soc devoted most of his time and passion to another sport: Table tennis.

Tung joined talent classes from a very young age and was assessed by teachers as having a talent for dancing. Photo: NVCC

Recalling the special "transition" period, Thach Tung confided: "At that time, I also felt a bit regretful about giving up a subject that I loved very much and had achieved certain achievements. However, when I switched to table tennis, I realized that this sport was also very interesting and focused on conquering it." Like Hip-hop, Soc is one of the youngest and smallest members of the Thanh Vinh Anh Em Table Tennis Club (Vinh City). After only a short time of training, Tung was evaluated by the teachers as having quick reflexes, good counter-attack skills and intelligent ball thinking. Also, only a short time later, Tung continued to participate in the Phu Dong Sports Festival at the provincial level, exchange and expansion tournaments and achieved many remarkable achievements.

Not only with Hip-hop and table tennis, surely many people will be surprised when looking at the tableachievementsThis small boy's massiveness. Thach Tung also won first and second prizes in provincial swimming, and was given special permission to participate in martial arts competitions when he had only studied martial arts for a short time (but the tournament was later postponed due to Covid-19). Even in the field of music, Tung also impressed his teachers with his ability to perceive and play the guitar well. Before that impressive achievement, Tung always humbly believed that there were many friends who were better than him and everyone could do the same as him.

When asked about the secret, Tung shyly said: “All subjects go through the initial boring part with reflex exercises, basic techniques, then the exciting part of competition and exchange. I think that, no matter what subject, if you have a certain love for it, persistently pursue it with a serious attitude, you will definitely get good results.”

Thach Tung's parents always create the best conditions for Tung and his sister to have time to participate in skill and talent classes. Photo: NVCC.

That said, not everyone can do it with that seemingly simple secret. The results Tung has today are not only the "sweet fruit" of Tung's own training process but also the "sweet fruit" of Tung's parents - parents who do not want their children to put too much emphasis on academic achievement.

Mr. Pham Huu Phuong - Tung's father shared: "To be able to accompany and guide our child, my husband and I also have to accept the trade-offs. To have a happy, understanding, brave, sociable, progressive, and confident version of our child in front of a crowd, those trade-offs are completely worth it."

The trade-offs are worth it

In 2014, when Soc was 7 years old, Soc's father, Mr. Phuong, made a big decision in his life. The company he worked for changed its operating model and required employees to work in shifts, which meant that there would be days when he had to stay overnight and not go home. Feeling that he was not suitable for this change, Mr. Phuong quit his job and built his own career. It was not big, but in return, he was proactive in everything and could spend time with his family. He and his wife determined that their greatest career was to accompany their children, raising them to become happy children with many life skills.

“From the beginning, my husband and I's parenting philosophy was not to want our children to put too much emphasis on achievements, even if they werein learningor sports. Instead of placing expectations on our children and wanting them to be good, we happily accept their abilities and let them practice their health and experience as much as possible. Going to competitions is just a way for them to practice their confidence and bravery. Winning a prize is good, but not winning a prize is also okay. The important thing is that they find joy in the process, know how to express themselves, learn the soft skills necessary for their future life and make more good friends" - Mr. Phuong shared.

Despite his small stature, Thach Tung still won a high prize in a provincial swimming competition. Photo: NVCC.

With this point of view, while his friends are busy studying for cultural subjects, Tung and his sisters are busy with lessons that, according to him, are "learning while having fun". It is easy to say, but there are times when to follow these "learning while having fun" sessions, Tung himself as well as his parents have to make a lot of effort. Mr. Phuong registers Tung and his sister for any course that their children like, picks them up and drops them off every day, encourages them, and follows their every little progress. For the sake of their children, he is willing to brave the rain, the sun, drive them from one end of the city to the other to study, and is willing to wait for them to finish studying for hours to take them home...

Recalling the time when Tung was young and could not go alone, he said: “There was a time when Tung studied up to 4 subjects in 1 day, including swimming, guitar, dancing and martial arts. Soc told me: Dad, I feel so tired, can I skip one subject? After hearing what he said, I felt both sorry and sad because I was so careless, not realizing this sooner. However, when I told him to skip the subjects he did not like, he decided not to skip any subject. After this incident, I recognized his efforts and attempts more and always respected his choices.”

The sympathy and respect of his parents are also part of the reason for Tung's profound and mature thinking. When asked which of all his awards he cherished the most, the boy immediately answered: The award in the "Tiny Hero" competition. "That is not the highest achievement in dancing, nor is it the most valuable award. That is the award that, to get, my father and I had to try to overcome the most difficulties. In this competition, my father and I had nearly 3 months of competing and practicing in Saigon without transportation, not suitable for the sweet taste of the South, extremely exhausted" - Tung said.

Thach Tung won a high prize in a table tennis competition. Photo: NVCC.

The companionship of Mr. Phuong and his wife is also the foundation for the sports achievements of the eldest daughter - Pham Chau Nguyen. Chau Nguyen won a high prize in the Phu Dong Sports Festival in the aerobic category, and was also a student of the College of Culture and Arts in the zither category since high school.

Perhaps, the achievements of the Tung sisters are not the highest achievements, the story of the Tung family is not the most typical story. But it is a convincing example of the journey of raising children.happy, understand yourself and constantly strive to improve every day.