At a previous SEA Games in Vietnam, Nguyen Duc Tuan once made the Hai Duong Sporting Event Hall ‘explode’ when he won the men's singles gold medal after 19 years of waiting.

One year later after the achievement was gained, Vietnam’s table tennis again gained success at SEA Games 32, held in Cambodia. The victory this year is more emotional, because Vietnam had not won a gold medal in mixed doubles in the last 26 years.

Ngoc and Hoang made a milestone after beating Clarance Zhe Yu Chew and Jian Zeng from Singapore, who were considered top rivals. The match was dramatic when the two Vietnamese players lost set 3 and had a difficult time in set 4.

However, they were explosive at decisive points and defeated the Singaporeans with a 15-12 score, creating a historic achievement for Vietnam’s table tennis.

The previous gold in mixed doubles belonged to Vu Manh Cuong and Ngo Thu Thuy, who won the medal at the SEA Games organized in Indonesia in 1997. 

While Hoang jumped for joy, Mai Ngoc kept her composure. The 19-year-old was calm and mature.

Ngoc began catching special attention from trainers and companions at the 2021 National Table Tennis Championship when she beat her older rivals and won the women's singles championship.

At the 31st SEA Games she won 2 bronze medals for women's doubles and women's team, and now she has won gold, which is a worthy achievement for her extraordinary efforts.

The victory is even more meaningful for Ngoc as she wants to dedicate the medal to Vu Manh Cuong, her teacher and a legend of Vietnamese table tennis, her mother, and her deceased father.

At the age of four, Ngoc and her twin sister Tran Ngoc Nga, lost their father. Ngoc said she could not remember her father’s face, but the great loss brought courage to the two girls. Both of them, especially Ngoc, emerged as young talents of Vietnam’s table tennis.

They both left home in Binh Duong for Hanoi to be trained when they were 11 years old, when they often cried because of homesickness. 

During the years of living and practicing in Hanoi, they could only return home on the Tet holiday. When they returned to their hometown, they gave all the money, from salaries and bonuses, to their mother.

Hoa An