Nghe An Newspaper Cup Youth and Children's Football Tournament: The launching pad for defender Vuong Van Huy.

Vuong Van Huy in the Song Lam Nghe An jersey (wearing a blue pitch shirt). Photo: Duc Anh

Efforts to win trust

At 4 PM on the Vinh stadium pitch, under the scorching 40°C sun, Vuong Van Huy and his teammates still had to endure the training program devised by the Song Lam Nghe An coaching staff. This is the first year the defender from Yen Thanh has been promoted to the Song Lam Nghe An first team. He is striving every day to improve himself and hopes to soon gain the trust of coach Huy Hoang.

Although Huy doesn't have an ideal physique, the 2001-born defender possesses good speed and stamina, and always plays with a passionate spirit. This has somewhat drawn attention from the audience whenever he plays. This season, Vuong Van Huy has made 3 appearances for Song Lam Nghe An. While he hasn't made a significant impact yet, the defender is gradually adapting to the V.League environment and playing more confidently with each match.

Vuong Van Huy shared: “The match against Hai Phong in round 3 of the V.League 2023 was the first time I played for Song Lam Nghe An. Although I only experienced the highest level of Vietnamese football for more than 10 minutes, it gave me a very different feeling compared to playing at the youth level. I was momentarily overwhelmed by the sounds coming from the stands, and felt tense whenever the opposing team's foreign players pressed me. As a result, I made a few mistakes in my ball handling. However, after that, things started to improve, and I felt more confident when the coach trusted me enough to give me a chance to play.”

This season, at Song Lam Nghe An, Vuong Van Huy will have to compete for a full-back position with players like Tran Dinh Hoang, Ho Van Cuong, and Mai Sy Hoang. These are all experienced players with their own strengths. Therefore, a new player joining the first team needs to work even harder to gain the trust of the coaching staff.

Wang Wenhui joins the youth academy.Lam River, Nghe AnSince 2012, he has played in various positions in youth teams. However, with a height of 1.66m, this player only truly impressed when coaches deployed him on the wing. In that position, Huy proved his talent, winning numerous medals at national youth football tournaments. These include winning the U13 National Championship in 2014 with Song Lam Nghe An; a Silver Medal at the U17 National Championship; and two Bronze Medals at the U19 National Championship.

In 2022, Vuong Van Huy participated in the U21 National Championship with the Song Lam Nghe An U21 team. At that tournament, Huy was one of the most important links in coach Nguyen Van Tien's tactical scheme. He started in all three group stage matches. His presence on the right flank brought quality attacking plays to the Song Lam Nghe An U21 team. Unfortunately, the Nghe An U21 team encountered difficulties and were eliminated early in the 2022 U21 National Championship. Therefore, Vuong Van Huy no longer had the opportunity to shine in the Song Lam Nghe An youth team's colors.

A place to nurture passion.

Returning to the training session at Vinh Stadium for the Nghe An team, due to the extremely harsh weather, the players were given a break every 15 minutes to rehydrate. During this break, we had the opportunity to chat with Vuong Van Huy to learn about his journey into football. Breathing heavily from just completing his training session, Huy was still enthusiastic, recounting his fond childhood memories that led him to a professional football career.

"If it weren't for the Nghe An Newspaper Cup that day, there wouldn't be the defender Vuong Van Huy of today. The Newspaper Cup is where my dream came true," Vuong Van Huy affirmed.

Vuong Van Huy was the best player in the Nghe An Newspaper Cup Youth and Children's Football Tournament in 2012. Photo: FBNV

Vuong Van Huy showed early talent for football while still in elementary school. He was always present in tournaments organized by his school. With his outstanding performances, Huy quickly caught the eye of coaches in his district. In 2012, Vuong Van Huy and the Yen Thanh Children's Team participated in the Nghe An Newspaper Cup.

That season, the Nghe An Newspaper Cup was divided into groups for competition. Yen Thanh Children's team excelled, winning first place in their group and becoming one of the eight teams to compete in the final round in Vinh.

Huy's first time going out into the city brought him many new experiences, and it was there that he created memories that have stayed with him to this day.

Vuong Van Huy recalled: “Participating in the Nghe An Newspaper Cup gave me many beautiful memories. My mother took me to BigC, I experienced many arcade games, and I got to eat ice cream... All of that has become a beautiful and unforgettable memory.”

Discovering many interesting things in Vinh City provided motivation and enthusiasm, leading Vuong Van Huy to have an explosive season playing for Yen Thanh Children's team. Despite playing as a winger, Van Huy always made a difference, contributing many important goals for his team. In the 2012 season, Yen Thanh Children's team went on to win the Nghe An Newspaper Cup Youth and Children's Football Tournament without much difficulty. At that tournament, Vuong Van Huy was also voted the best player of the tournament.

His impressive performance at the Nghe An Newspaper Cup led Vuong Van Huy to the Song Lam Nghe An youth academy. From there, Vuong Van Huy was able to fully pursue his passion and look forward to a bright future.

"If I had the choice again, I would still choose to pursue a professional football career," shared Vuong Van Huy.