Watching the Hanoi volleyball team, many people are impressed by a young face, 1m90 tall, with powerful attacks. Few people know that this player comes from the windy, white sand countryside of Quang Tri. To pursue his passion, Nguyen Hai Nam (born in 2005) crossed the mountains to the capital to train and study.
Hai Nam (far right) and his teammates brought home the first prize for Khe Sanh town volleyball team - Photo: NVCC
White shirt player
In January 2022, Hai Nam officially signed a professional contract to play for the Hanoi volleyball team. However, in the hearts of the people in the mountainous district of Huong Hoa, especially teachers and students, he has been a "player" for many years. When he was still wearing a white shirt and a red scarf, Nam was often a member of the school's volleyball team. With impressive performances in tournaments, he was called "the white shirt player".
Seeing Hai Nam's talent, many people think that he was born and raised in a family that follows the sports industry. However, contrary to that thinking, Nam's parents are both civil servants and ordinary workers. Currently, his father is working at the People's Committee of Huong Lap commune, and his mother is a freelance trader. Although life is still difficult, his parents always try their best to take care of the three Nam brothers' studies and pursue their passion. The family's house in Khe Sanh town, Huong Hoa district is always filled with laughter.
Born and raised in the loving arms of his parents, Hai Nam's childhood was peaceful like many other children in the forest. One of the things that made Nam different was his height. When he first entered 7th grade, he was already 1.72 m tall. Seeing that his son had strengths and loved volleyball, his parents encouraged Nam to invest in this sport. No one expected that this encouragement would open a door for him filled with passion, dreams and ambitions.
Hai Nam (sitting 3rd from left) takes a souvenir photo at the 2023 Club CUP Youth Volleyball Tournament - Photo: NVCC
Coming to volleyball quite randomly, Hai Nam became passionate about it without realizing it. Outside of school hours, the ball was an endless joy for him. Seeing his talent, teachers soon selected Nam for the school's team. In some tournaments, Nam became a trusted teammate of the school's teachers. What everyone was very happy about was that the student with outstanding height matured through each tournament, contributing to the victory. From here, the name Nguyen Hai Nam became known to more people. He was considered a "phenomenon", "national player"...
Leaving home to pursue passion
Talking to reporters, Mr. Nguyen Hai Binh, Hai Nam's father, shared that seeing their son play football and leave his mark, the couple was very happy. However, they never thought that Nam would follow a professional path. Therefore, when their son entered 7th and then 8th grade, they were very surprised when two big clubs in the country contacted them, asking the family to create conditions for him to go to training. "At that time, my wife and I were very hesitant. Nam was too young at that time. Finally, after consulting with him, we decided to let Nam stay at home," Mr. Binh shared.
What Mr. Binh and his wife did not expect was that their son, who they thought was still very young, had other plans. In 9th grade, Hai Nam shared with his parents his desire to become an athlete for the Hanoi volleyball team. At that time, Mr. Binh and his wife were extremely surprised. The surprise was multiplied when they learned that Nam had previously contacted coach Hoang Anh Tuan to discuss the matter. It turned out that after hearing that his dream team was recruiting athletes and seeing that he was qualified, Nam made a big decision. His determination and the coach's persuasion made Mr. Binh and his wife change their minds.
Hai Nam took a souvenir photo with his parents when they went to Ninh Binh to cheer on their son's competition - Photo: NVCC
In December 2019, Binh and his wife took Hai Nam to Hanoi, to the Hanoi High-Level Athlete Training Center to attend the official selection. To their surprise, Nam was immediately accepted by the center and officially signed a training and competition contract. In early 2020, on the 6th day of Tet, he was summoned to the capital for training. To ensure Nam's comprehensive development, the center arranged for Nam to study culture at the Hanoi High School for Gifted Sports. All training, culture, and accommodation costs were covered by the center. Not only that, Nam also received a monthly allowance.
In the new environment, Nam was like a "fish in water". After only one year of training, he was included in the official squad of the Hanoi youth team. In January 2022, Nam signed a professional contract for the Hanoi volleyball team until 2035. Notably, although he was the youngest player on the team, he was "chosen" to be promoted to the first line, the highest line, where talented and experienced seniors stand. From the first line of the Hanoi volleyball team, many players have become famous and have the honor of wearing the national team's jersey.
Success in adolescence
Leaving his family when he was a 9th grader, only 14 years old, to pursue his passion, Hai Nam accepted to give up many precious things. Few people know that although he had prepared himself mentally for life away from home, the nostalgia for his homeland and family still flooded Nam's mind. Many nights, he buried his face in his pillow and cried. However, Nam still asked his coach to hide it from his parents. Even when his parents called to ask about him, he tried to act normal. Nam was afraid that if they saw him wavering, his parents would weaken and come to Hanoi to pick him up.
However, the worries about his hometown and family are just some of the many challenges that a young athlete like Hai Nam must face. Nam has to get used to a relatively dense training and competition schedule. Meanwhile, studying culture at school always needs to be prioritized. Amidst the pressures and challenges, the motivation that helps him overcome is his passion for volleyball. Every time he practices and competes, even though he sweats a lot, Nam feels like he has been given a new breath of life.
It is this passion that has helped Hai Nam increasingly assert himself in the Hanoi volleyball team. In the first line, he always receives the attention and care of many people and also the fear of his opponents. No matter which team he meets, Nam always plays with the spirit of a "warrior". Thanks to that, he has brought many valuable points to the team. With the contribution of Nam and his teammates, the Hanoi volleyball team has excellently won Third Prize - National Championship; Second Prize - Youth Volleyball Club CUP; Third Prize - National Youth Championship...
With the nature of training, competing and coaching, in recent times, Hai Nam has rarely had the opportunity to visit his hometown. Therefore, every time he returns, Nam is very happy and wants to spend the entire day off with his relatives and friends... However, the call of tournaments in his hometown still urges him. Most recently, returning on the occasion of the 54th anniversary of his hometown's liberation, Hai Nam and his teammates competed and won first place for the Khe Sanh town volleyball team. That is probably one of the experiences that Nam will never forget. As always, he always loves the feeling of playing ball and contributing to his hometown audience.
Quang Hiep
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