'Don't take the argument between Ly Hoang Nam and Truong Vinh Hien too seriously'

Recently at the PPA Tour Asia - Vietnam Cup 2025 taking place in Da Nang , controversy broke out in the semi-final match of the professional men's singles between Ly Hoang Nam and Truong Vinh Hien.

In set 1, Hoang Nam scored 11 consecutive points to win 11-5. In set 2, Vinh Hien excellently won again 11-9, in which Vinh Hien "called out" (ball out of the court) and Hoang Nam "called in" (ball in the court), finally the referee determined "ball in". In the deciding set 3, Vinh Hien raised his hand to "call out" and Hoang Nam "called in" twice, ending with the referee's decision "ball out". In this set, Vinh Hien won 11-6, gaining the right to enter the final of the professional men's singles while Hoang Nam won the bronze medal because his opponent Thomas Yu withdrew due to health reasons.

During the match, Hoang Nam and Vinh Hien both showed frustration many times, but they still shook hands when the match ended, before continuing to argue outside.

Speaking to Tien Phong newspaper reporter, national pickleball referee Le Phi Hung said that in pickleball as well as many other sports , controversial situations are not uncommon.

"In major tournaments and important matches, the pressure is so great that referees must have good reflexes and good nerves to grasp situations and make decisions in a short time," referee Le Phi Hung said. "Therefore, mistakes, if any, are inevitable."

Having officiated many national and international professional pickleball tournaments, and also being the Chief Referee of the Vietnam Pickleball Tournament - Hyundai Thanh Cong Cup 2025, referee Le Phi Hung said that when support technology has not been applied to the match, the referee's decisions need to be respected because sometimes the athletes are also influenced by emotions or do not have a good viewing angle.

Referee Le Phi Hung highly appreciated the ability and attitude of Vietnamese tennis players.

Returning to the match between Hoang Nam and Vinh Hien, referee Le Phi Hung said that the reactions during and after the match of athletes are common in sports, and should not be taken too seriously or pushed too far.

"Having managed important matches with big prizes involving Vinh Hien and Do Minh Quan, after I made a decision, even though it was beneficial for them, they still told me, 'Hey, I think the situation is like this, like that'," Mr. Le Phi Hung shared, "Hoang Nam is the same. As a veteran tennis player before switching to pickleball, I always appreciated Hoang Nam for his proper behavior, as a senior to become an example for the younger generation. Besides professional ability, I see that Vietnamese tennis players also have a good moral foundation, professional behavior and fair play.

As I know, the top Vietnamese athletes, from Hoang Nam, Vinh Hien, Minh Quan or Trinh Linh Giang, all have good relationships with each other, behave like gentlemen and very manly. Of course, because of the competitive nature of sports, in specific matches they can be influenced by emotions, even lose control a little, but after that, they all quickly forget, strive to be better and move on to other matches, other goals."