Son La Taekwondo makes its mark in domestic and international arenas

Athlete Bac Thi Khiem won the Gold Medal at the 2025 Southeast Asian Taekwondo Championship. (Photo: PV)

Starting with many difficulties, Son La Taekwondo gradually asserted its position thanks to the attention of the province, the sports industry, the dedication of the coaching team and especially the talent and will of the athletes, bringing Son La Taekwondo to remarkable achievements.

Mr. Ho Minh Son, Director of the Provincial Sports Training and Competition Center, said: In recent years, Son La Taekwondo athletes have reached regional and international levels. Participation and medal winnings at prestigious tournaments such as: SEA Games; Southeast Asian Taekwondo Championship; Asian Taekwondo Championship... have contributed to marking the mark of Vietnamese sports on the world martial arts map.

Son La female boxers achieved success in the international arena.
(Photo provided by athlete)

Some of Son La Taekwondo's outstanding achievements in major arenas include 2 Gold Medals at the 2018 and 2022 National Sports Festivals; 2 Gold Medals at the 30th and 31st SEA Games; 2 Bronze Medals at the 19th Asian Games (ASIAD 19) in China; 1 Gold Medal at the 2024 Asian Taekwondo Championship; 7 Gold Medals at the Southeast Asian Taekwondo Championship and many medals at national tournaments... On the domestic arena, names such as Bac Thi Khiem, Lem Thi Thao, Hoang Thi Thu Huyen, Luong Thi Hai Yen have become familiar when they have continuously won high achievements at youth championships, national championships, and have had the honor of wearing the national flag and singing the national anthem among friends from all over the world.

Son La green armor athletes compete in the international arena.
(Photo provided by athlete).

Coach Quang Van Lich, who has been involved in training many generations of excellent athletes, shared: Most of the athletes of the team come from the communes, many of them have difficult family circumstances. But it is the passion and support of the family that gives them the strength to overcome all barriers and focus on training. Team management also requires high discipline, along with understanding the athletes, they are young and far from home, so outside of training hours, the coaches are like brothers and fathers accompanying, sharing, and taking care of them like family members.

In order for athletes to maximize their abilities, training is always built on the strengths and weaknesses of each athlete, while focusing on training the competitive mentality to help them maintain their form on the arena. Thanks to scientific and close training methods, Son La Taekwondo continuously contributes outstanding faces to the National Team. Currently, Son La has 2 athletes training in the National Team and 3 athletes training in the National Youth Team.

Son La Taekwondo team athletes practice.

We had the opportunity to talk with athlete Bac Thi Khiem when she returned to Son La after the tournament. Khiem shared: Being able to train with the National Team is a great honor for every athlete, but also full of challenges. My biggest difficulty is being away from my family, injuries during competitions sometimes make me discouraged. The encouragement of my family and coaches and most of all, each time I wear the national flag and sing the Vietnamese national anthem among friends from other countries has given me more motivation and strength to continue to strive to contribute.

As a promising young face of Son La Taekwondo, athlete Luong Thi Hai Yen has just won a Gold Medal at the 2025 International Taekwondo Championship in Jakarta, Indonesia. With a height advantage of 1m73, competing in the 46 kg category, this slim, slender girl made a strong impression with her decisive, flexible and powerful punches. Immediately after winning, we connected with Hai Yen through her coach. She emotionally shared: The moment the Vietnamese flag fluttered in the international arena, the Vietnamese national anthem sounded, I felt extremely proud. That gave me more strength to practice hard, contribute, and defend my position and win more gold medals in international arenas.

The coach guides the athletes in technique.

Mr. Ho Minh Son, Director of the Son La Province Sports Training and Competition Center, added: In the coming time, the Center will focus on three main strategies, which are investing in facilities, improving training quality, and continuing to find new sources of athletes. In addition, creating the best conditions for accommodation and training grounds for students to practice with peace of mind. Creating conditions for coaches to study, improve their qualifications, and access new training methods.

With the right investment, scientific training and the steely spirit of the athletes, Son La Taekwondo promises to continue to reap more success, affirming its position in the international arena.

Source: https://baosonla.vn/the-thao/taekwondo-son-la-ghi-dau-tren-cac-dau-truong-trong-nuoc-va-quoc-te-LqwQ8I3Hg.html