Previously, Le Van Dong had also won the Asian Men’s Team Gold Medal in 2024. The journey behind the achievements of Hue’s shuttlecock “golden boy” Le Van Dong is closely tied to his natural affinity and burning passion for the sport.
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| Le Van Dong was presented with a commendation certificate by Mr. Nguyen Khac Toan, Chairman of the Hue City People’s Committee |
From football to shuttlecock
Many teachers at Truong An Primary School, Hue City, still remember the young student Le Van Dong as an excellent and standout football player of the school’s team. In 2012, he was selected into the U11 football talent class of the Hue Football Association under Coach Nguyen Dong Phuong. Playing as a forward, he was assessed as a promising player with a good physique, ability to use both feet, and particularly skillful technique. However, a turning point came when teachers at Truong An Primary School selected him for the shuttlecock team to compete in Hue City’s Phu Dong Youth Sports Festival.
The fifth-grader caught the eye of Thua Thien Hue shuttlecock head coach Nguyen Van Hien at that tournament. That same year, Le Van Dong was selected for the Thua Thien Hue shuttlecock team to compete in the National Phu Dong Youth Sports Festival in Nghe An. “That was a decisive turning point in my life. I was passionate about football, and it was hard to give it up. But when I switched to shuttlecock, I felt freer - my feet seemed to soar with the shuttlecock. And importantly, at that time, the shuttlecock was not yet well known in Hue. So I chose shuttlecock,” recalled Le Van Dong.
Returning from the National Phu Dong Festival in Nghe An, he was officially selected by Coach Nguyen Van Hien for the shuttlecock team at the Thua Thien Hue Sports Center. Although his starting point was “one step behind” his peers in the team, within just a few months, he had proven his talent, becoming the team’s ace and Hue’s number one male shuttlecock athlete.
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| Le Van Dong with his Asian Gold Medal in 2025 |
The Gold medals
Le Van Dong shared: “Shuttlecock has brought me so much joy and pride for my family.” But the road to glory required years of grueling training on the practice courts and in competitions. After 8 years of training and competing under Coach Nguyen Van Hien, it was at the 2020 National Shuttlecock Championship in Dong Thap that he finally tasted his first victory - a Gold Medal in the mixed doubles event.
He still vividly remembers that final from six years ago: “Back then, Hue was still an unknown compared to other provinces, having no prior achievements. That was actually why our athletes competed with the most relaxed mindset. In the mixed doubles, Phan Thi Tuyet and I performed impressively from the qualifying rounds through the semifinals. In the final, our opponents were the Dien-Xuan pair from Dong Thap - two athletes with an impressive record of five consecutive national championships. It was a tense match. The Dong Thap pair took the first set quite easily. But with youth and a calm competitive mindset, the Dong-Tuyet pair from Hue made a remarkable comeback to bring home that precious Gold Medal.”
This was also the first national mixed doubles Gold Medal for Hue shuttlecock, and notably, both Le Van Dong and Phan Thi Tuyet were only 19 years old at the time. This means that they were still eligible for youth competitions, yet Coach Nguyen Van Hien boldly entered them in the national championship, where they surprisingly claimed the title for Hue.
Following the 2020 national Gold Medal, Le Van Dong was selected for the national shuttlecock team. With his all-around playing style, especially his spectacular santo kicks, he has consistently been part of the men’s team competing in the team event. Two Gold Medals in the Men’s Team (3-person) event at the 2024 and 2025 Asian Championships, plus a Silver Medal in the Men’s Team (4-person) event at the 2025 Asian Championship, have confirmed the class of Hue’s shuttlecock “golden boy.”
Coach Nguyen Van Hien praised his outstanding student: “Along with Nguyen Thi Thuy Linh - World shuttlecock champion - Le Van Dong is an outstanding shuttlecock athlete not just for Hue but for the entire country. He is a truly admirable example of an athlete who overcomes adversity. I believe he will continue achieving new accomplishments, as he is now at the peak age for a shuttlecock athlete.”
Le Van Dong’s goal for 2026 is to compete at the World Shuttlecock Championship, set to be held in France this coming May.