On November 1, Nguyen Pham Hoai Yen, a K25 student in the PSU Tourism & Travel Management program at the DTU Hospitality & Tourism Institute, jumped 3.60 meters in the women’s pole vault competition to win a silver medal in the 2020 National Athletics Championship.
Hoai Yen during competition
From student in Phu Dong sports festivals to professional athlete
Since junior high school, Hoai Yen has excelled at sports and was part of her school’s Phu Dong sports team. She won a silver medal in the high jump at the city-level Phu Dong sports festival in 2014 and was selected for special city training. In 2016, in 9th grade, she won a gold medal in the high jump at the Central Vietnam regional Phu Dong festival for Danang. Hoai Yen also practiced the pole vault, with outstanding results and previously decided to specialize in that to compete for Danang.
Hoai Yen (first on left) won a silver medal at the 2020 National Athletics Championship
“As I’m studying and training every day, I don’t have much spare time,” explained Hoai Yen. “At first, I was quite tired and worried, as I wasn’t yet familiar with intensive training, but, day-by-day, I adapted. I’m delighted with my silver medal at the 2020 National Athletics Championship. However, I will still drive myself even harder to compete at big sports events, conquer myself and bring honor to my family and to sports in Danang.”
The DTU student’s happiness at her silver medal
Hoai Yen says that, “My achievement of 3m60 at the 2020 National Athletics Championship women’s pole vault is my highest ever. Previously, I also won a bronze medal at the 2018 Southeast Asian Youth Athletics Championships in Thailand, gold medals four years straight at Young National Athletics Championships (from 2017 to 2020), and silver medals two years straight at National Athletics Championships (in 2018 and 2019). I’m very happy to have broken my personal record, and I also tell myself I’ll train even harder to prepare for the next contest, especially for the 2021 SEA Games next year.”
A passion for sports, and dreaming of becoming a tour guide
For Hoai Yen, daily sports training is a hobby, a passion she has been pursuing for eight years now. Few people know however that her actual dream is to become a tour guide and introduce visitors to the sights and heritage of Vietnam, which is why she’s now studying Tourism & Travel Management at DTU.
“The study environment at DTU is very good,” she said. “DTU has invested in modern facilities and partners in offering international Hospitality programs with Pennsylvania State University in the US. The University also provides us with the ideal conditions to train and compete in sports. When I was unable to attend exams, my lecturers and classmates sent me the materials online and always encouraged me to achieve the best athletic results.”
Going back to her student life after sports competitions, Hoai Yen is always conscious of the fact that, if she wants to realize her dream of becoming a skilled tour guide, she has to do her best. This is why, even if she is injured in her training, she still study hard. Thanks to her studiousness and sustained efforts, Hoai Yen enjoys her lecturers’ trust and her friends’ admiration, not only for her medals from sports events, but also for her academic results, which are with honors every single year.
“The road ahead is full of difficulties, but I will do my utmost to achieve my goals and be successful. On graduation I will choose a career that I will enjo, a tour guide, and find time for sports training to maintain good health and my ambitions.
(Media Center)