Vietnam Workers' and Civil Servants' Football Tournament 2025: The sorrow of a teacher who missed his appointment

In the 2024 season, Coach Huynh Thanh Nha (64 years old) is the hero of Ben Tre Trade Union when he helped the team "transform" spectacularly, winning a ticket to the national final round of the Workers and Civil Servants Football Tournament.

Coach Huynh Thanh Nha regrets not being able to participate in this year's tournament - Photo: NGUYEN KHOI

But this year, when the tournament is about to start, the veteran coach of coconut country football sadly stands on the sidelines.

Even though he is no longer directly in command, the passion in him still burns. But now it also carries with it regrets.

Old age adds distance

Football fans in the old Ben Tre (now Vinh Long province) are no strangers to the name Huynh Thanh Nha. He is the teacher of many famous players from the coconut land such as Tran Duy Quang (former player of Hoang Anh Gia Lai and the Vietnam national team), Nguyen Hong Hai (Ho Chi Minh City Police), Nguyen Van Tuan (Saigon Port),...

In the 2024 tournament, the 64-year-old coach transformed a team that lost all 3 group stage matches in 2023 into a formidable team. With only 3 weeks of preparation, Ben Tre Trade Union under his leadership won 5/6 matches, scored 31 goals and finished 3rd in the Ho Chi Minh City region. However, that beautiful journey will not continue this year.

The reason why coach Huynh Thanh Nha missed this year's tournament was due to administrative changes. He shared with Tuoi Tre: "This year, there was a provincial merger, so our Ben Tre team was also dissolved. The Vinh Long team is now being taken over by a business there, they built a completely new team." Although he received an invitation to continue coaching from the new province, he had to decline.

Behind this decision are the concerns of the teacher in his twilight years. He explained: "Firstly, it is too far to go there to practice now. And I only have an elderly wife and I, so if I go there, I will leave her at home. Second, my current health condition does not allow me to move that much."

Geographical distance and the burden of age have become an insurmountable barrier for Mr. Nha. Having to constantly travel to the center of Vinh Long province for training is a big challenge for his health and family circumstances.

Many of last year’s squad members were also unable to participate due to work commitments. This meant he would have to start from scratch with a completely new squad, a task that required too much energy and time at his age.

Players are excited in the 2024 tournament - Photo: BTC

Still passionate about football

Although unable to participate, Coach Huynh Thanh Nha still could not hide his passion. For him, last year's tournament left countless beautiful memories. "Unfortunately, this year, due to conditions, I could not participate," he confided.

That regret is the feeling of missing the feeling of living with the beat of the ball, of passing the fire to his students. He affirmed that age can make health decline, but cannot extinguish the flame of passion: "My blood of devotion, my blood of passion, consider it as living with football for many years... It has no age, as long as I have health, I will keep doing it."

His love for football remains the same as the early days. He is still willing to contribute, but in a different role. He said that the new provincial departments have also suggested inviting him to be an advisor and give advice on the long-term development direction of football. It is a path that he is very passionate about and is willing to contribute when possible.

When asked about his message to the new team, now named Vinh Long Trade Union, the "old teacher" considered this an inevitable development trend of society. "No matter which locality, whatever flag or color we carry, it must have our passion so that we can try to complete the job," he said.

"Now that Vinh Long is my hometown, I hope that this movement will develop and Vinh Long will achieve a high ranking, which will be a great joy." For coach Huynh Thanh Nha, whether it is Ben Tre or Vinh Long, the love for football and the development of generations of players is still paramount.

Even though he has to be a spectator this year, he will still follow every step of the team with hope and a bit of regret for an unfinished journey.

THANH DINH

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/giai-bong-da-cong-nhan-vien-chuc-viet-nam-2025-noi-niem-cua-nguoi-thay-lo-hen-20250921104144792.htm