Story of a family passionate about table tennis in Nghe An

Great love for table tennis

Entering the house of Ms. Ong Thi Bich Hanh in Ha Huy Tap ward (Vinh city), many people could not take their eyes off the system of Certificates of Merit, Medals and Championship Cups of family members after many years of being attached to table tennis.

Cherish the Gold Medal just won at“National Family Badminton and Table Tennis Tournament 2023”held in early August, Ms. Hanh said that she has been involved in table tennis for nearly 30 years. Since she was a 6th grader, when she witnessed her father's skillful ball smashing, she had an indescribable passion for this sport. Feeling his daughter's love, her father encouraged her to try practicing. Unexpectedly, beyond her father's expectations, she revealed a special talent for this sport.

At the end of 6th grade, Ms. Hanh was registered by her father to practice at the Vietnam - Germany Children's Cultural House. Finding a suitable environment, after only 1 year of effort, she was selected to join the provincial table tennis team. That was an important milestone for her to have the opportunity to test herself in many tournaments inside and outside the province. In particular, at national youth tournaments, Ms. Ong Thi Bich Hanh and other athletes of the province have created many good impressions in the eyes of sports lovers with beautiful, dedicated and skillful playing style.

In grade 11, after many times achieving high prizes at provincial competitions, she broke through to win third prize in women's singles atNational Phu Dong Sports Festival. Her love for table tennis has been nurtured over the years, including her student life and later working in the province's Electricity sector. At tournaments organized by the Provincial Business Bloc Party Committee, the name of Ms. Thi Bich Hanh has been called many times on the podium of glory.

Not only stopping at provincial tournaments and those of her industry, since 2015, she has encouraged her husband and children to participate in 7 seasons of the National Family Badminton and Table Tennis Tournament. After that journey, the couple won 4 Gold Medals for couples in 2019, 2020, 2021, 2023.

In the remaining years, the couple's family won 3 Silver Medals and 2 Bronze Medals for husband and wife, father and son, mother and son. In 2022, Ms. Hanh received even more great joy when at the 2022 Nghe An Provincial Sports Festival, she excellently won the second prize in table tennis singles.

Behind those achievements, Ms. Hanh said that the happiest thing that she and her family members have is the love that everyone has for them. She still remembers clearly the 2019 National Family Competition, which was the first time she and her husband won a Gold Medal.

When the final whistle blew, the audience rushed onto the field to share the joy, congratulate the team enthusiastically and respectfully. The biggest surprise was that, among those fans, there were not only the home team's audience but also many fans of the away team. They shared that they loved the beautiful playing style of the Nghe An team. It was a style of play but also clearly demonstrated the lifestyle of the Nghe people: Dignified and upright.

Or at the 2022 National Family Tournament, before the competition day, she had a high fever and was exhausted. At that time, the members of the Nghe An Team were always on hand, worrying about her. There was even an athlete in the provincial team who was a doctor, and this doctor directly provided medical care and medicine for her. Thanks to that, she recovered her health to participate in the tournament. Even though she and her husband only won the Bronze Medal that year, the bond and love that all members had for each other was much greater than that.

Fostering love of sports for the next generation

Not inferior to his wife, Mr. Nguyen Hai Anh, Ms. Hanh’s husband (born in 1977) is also one of the athletes who has won many Gold Medals at the province’s amateur tournaments. From their common love for sports, the couple has “passed on the fire” to their family members.

Thanks to that, the eldest child Nguyen Dinh Anh Tu (born in 2007) is not only a good student but also has achieved many great achievements in sports: Silver Medal in Tug of War at the National level in the 2020-2021 school year; 3 Bronze Medals in Table Tennis at the National Family Tournament in 2020 and the years 2022, 2023.

The family's youngest child, Nguyen Hanh Tran (born in 2012), has also participated in table tennis competitions in the province's grassroots tournaments. Although she has not achieved as many achievements as her older brother, she has always had a great passion for this sport.

“The passion has grown every day, even in family meals and has become an indispensable part of each member’s life. Table tennis is a sport that requires high technique and requires players to practice persistently. Therefore, conquering this sport is also a way for players to improve their health and conquer themselves. That is the reason why I always encourage my husband and children to spread their love for this sport. More importantly, thanks to it, the children can stay away from their phones to enjoy the colorful real life,” Ms. Hanh confided.

Now, her family has 3 generations involved in table tennis. That shared passion contributes to multiplying the love, solidarity and attachment among family members.