Striker Mac Hong Quan: I like the taste of Vietnamese Tet the most

When he was a child, Mac Hong Quan always wished for Tet to come so that his parents could come home with bags full of gifts. When he went to the Czech Republic, Tet did not have much meaning for the striker born in 1992 because his family and friends only had one day off, no time to visit each other or have big parties.

THE STORY OF SHOES FROM THE CZECH REPUBLIC

Due to the family's economic difficulties, when Mac Hong Quan was just over a year old, his parents had to grit their teeth and let him stay with his grandparents, go to the Czech Republic to work, hoping to change their lives so that the family could have a happier life in the future.

When he was 5-6 years old, he had some awareness and saw that his friends had their parents to take care of them. The striker born in 1992 often came home to ask his grandmother why his parents were not at home. Not wanting him to think too much, Mrs. Mac Hong Quan often lied that his parents were studying at university in Hanoi and would return during Tet.

“In my childhood, Tet was the happiest because my parents always came back to reunite with the family. Every time my mother came back, she brought me many gifts, from clothes to candy, I happily showed them off to all my friends in the neighborhood. However, the most special gift was the pair of studded canvas shoes my mother gave me on Tet when I was 6 years old. Those were the best shoes in the neighborhood, I kept them very carefully, only daring to wear them occasionally,” Mac Hong Quan shared about his childhood.

That first pair of high-quality soccer shoes gave wings to Mac Hong Quan’s dream of becoming Hong Son “princess” or David Beckham. Unfortunately, up to now, the Vietnamese-American striker can no longer keep the treasure of his childhood.

“Once while cleaning the house, she saw the shoes and thought I didn’t wear them anymore so she gave them to the neighbor’s children. I regretted it forever when I found out. Thinking back, it would be great if I could still keep those shoes,” Mac Hong Quan said, laughing.

Mac Hong Quan (middle) is gradually proving his talent at his new club Than Quang Ninh.

Sad Tet in a Foreign Land

In 2000, Mac Hong Quan and his older sister Mac Huyen Trang were sent to the Czech Republic by their parents to settle down. The older sister was very excited to go, but Mac Hong Quan was not. However, later on, the striker born in 1992 happily lived in a foreign land, while his older sister insisted on returning to her homeland, Vietnam, to work as a flight attendant.

“My family lives in an area with a large Vietnamese population, but Tet is still very sad. During Tet there, Vietnamese people only get one day off, so the atmosphere is quite sad. Each family knows their own family, there is no going out because they have to go to work the next day. During Tet, my family makes banh chung and makes delicious dishes... but I still feel like it lacks the flavor of Vietnamese Tet,” Mac Hong Quan said about more than a dozen Tets in a foreign land.

Perhaps Mac Hong Quan would have been content to play football in the Czech Republic if coach Mai Duc Chung had not come here to study for a coaching degree. In a foreign land, the Vietnamese community here told him about a Vietnamese-origin player who was playing impressively for Sparta Praha Club. Mr. Chung could not contain his curiosity and went to see him play. Seeing that Mac Hong Quan had potential, coach Mai Duc Chung went to his house and asked his parents to let him return to Vietnam to try his hand at the U22 national team.

“When coach Mai Duc Chung invited me to play in Vietnam, I was very surprised. I had returned to Vietnam to visit my family many times, but I never thought I would play for my homeland. At that time, I was very hesitant because I was facing the opportunity to play in the A team of Sparta Praha Club, something I really wanted. However, my parents and relatives encouraged me to play in Vietnam, and I also wanted to test myself in a new environment,” Mac Hong Quan recalled.

After the adventure with the Vietnam U22 team in the qualifying round of the U22 Asian Cup, thanks to the "matchmaking" of coach Mai Duc Chung, Mac Hong Quan had a chance to join the V.League when he joined Thanh Hoa. Up to now, this is the third season the overseas Vietnamese striker has played in the number one football league in Vietnam. And thanks to returning home, Mac Hong Quan was able to experience the interesting Tet flavor of his homeland.

The past two Tet holidays, Mac Hong Quan was in his hometown Chi Linh, Hai Duong. His greatest happiness was that he had a whole week off during Tet, could comfortably eat delicious food, visit relatives and hang out with friends, the atmosphere was always warm and filled with laughter.

AWAY FROM HOME TO REUNITE

Although he loves Tet in his home country of Vietnam, this year Mac Hong Quan decided to celebrate Tet in the Czech Republic. “For the past two years, my parents have returned to Vietnam to celebrate Tet. However, this year, due to work, they cannot return. In addition, my sister also decided to go to the Czech Republic to give birth. Therefore, in order for the family to be together during Tet, I decided to return to the Czech Republic to celebrate the New Year,” the striker born in 1992 shared.

Talking about New Year wishes, in addition to wishing for health and happiness for his family members, Mac Hong Quan also wishes for a successful season with his new team Than Quang Ninh. Very successful in the national team, having played for the U22, U23 and national teams for the past two years, but in the V.League, the Vietnamese-American striker born in 1992 has had quite a difficult time.

After a successful 2013 season, Mac Hong Quan was invited by Thanh Hoa to renew his contract for one year. However, in the first half of the 2014 season, the Thanh Hoa team pursued a policy of using foreign strikers, so the striker from Hai Duong was pushed to the bench. Mr. De even used the reason that Mac Hong Quan's professional performance had declined and he could not contribute much to the team to terminate his contract.

Leaving Thanh Hoa, Mac Hong Quan moved to HV-An Giang in the second leg of the 2014 season. However, once again, the striker born in 1992 had to taste the bitter fruit when at the end of the season his team was relegated and disbanded. Right after the 2014 season ended, Mac Hong Quan signed a contract with QNK Quang Nam. But before playing a single match, the two sides went their separate ways, Mac Hong Quan went to Than Quang Ninh.

“Than Quang Ninh is an ambitious team, and there are many young, enthusiastic and passionate players. I am very happy to wear the shirt of the mining team. I hope this year I will have a successful V.League season,” Mac Hong Quan wished.

“Since returning to Vietnam to play football, I have had two truly Vietnamese Tet holidays. These are also the first times I have been able to give lucky money to children. Before that, I only received lucky money.”, Mac Hong Quan humorously shared.

According to Bongdaplus