Harnessing Strengths, Leaving a Mark on the Sports Arena

A Former National Team Member in Cluster 5 Colors
For 38-year-old athlete Nguyen Thi Xuan, a former member of the Vietnam women's national volleyball team, competing for her local community is a profound joy. Originally from Nam Dinh and passionate about volleyball from a young age, Xuan early on displayed a natural aptitude backed by an impressive height of 1.8 meters. She was selected for the women's volleyball talent training class, subsequently played for the provincial-level team, and was eventually called up to the national women's volleyball team as an outside hitter. Over more than a decade wearing the national colors, she received offers to play abroad, but ultimately did not pursue an overseas career due to various reasons.

During a tournament in Ho Chi Minh City, Xuan met her current husband, a native of Bao Loc who is a civil servant and a former 1.83-meter-tall beach volleyball athlete. Upon her first visit to Bao Loc, she quickly fell in love with the small, tranquil town surrounded by sweeping green tea hills. After marrying and settling in Bao Loc, she continued to travel for competitions across various locations. In late 2024, she retired from her athletic career, returned to Bao Loc with her family, and began dedicating herself to volleyball coaching.

Drawing on her experience and reputation, Xuan has attracted numerous trainees of various ages, the majority of whom are students. Expanding from Bao Loc, her volleyball classes now extend to Bao Lam. Each year, she coaches around 50 to 60 regular trainees, with numbers surging into the hundreds during the summer months. Xuan shared that she never expected such a deep passion for volleyball in the land of Bao Loc, noting her pleasant surprise.

Her contributions have breathed new momentum into the volleyball movement across Bao Loc and Bao Lam in recent times. Numerous grassroots teams have been established, and volleyball has made a comeback in schools and community playgrounds. Building on this grassroots foundation, Cluster 5 selected volleyball as one of its core competitive sports at the festival.

Within the Cluster 5 women's volleyball lineup, Xuan played the role of outside hitter, joining her teammates to overcome successive opponents and reach the final. In the championship match, Cluster 5 secured a decisive victory against the Lam Dong Department of Education and Training team, claiming the gold medal in women's volleyball at the First Lam Dong Provincial Sports Festival in 2026.

Leveraging Strengths
Cluster 5 comprises nine wards and communes, including four wards in the Bao Loc area: Ward 1, Ward 2, Ward 3, and B'Lao Ward, alongside five communes in the Bao Lam area: Bao Lam 1, Bao Lam 2, Bao Lam 3, Bao Lam 4, and Bao Lam 5. For years, Bao Loc and Bao Lam have maintained a robust sports movement, featuring disciplines widely embraced by residents such as basketball, football, volleyball, and martial arts. Bao Loc is also recognized as a locality with strong sports socialization efforts, contributing to the sustainment and growth of local physical education and sports activities.

At the First Lam Dong Provincial Sports Festival in 2026, Cluster 5 registered to compete in 20 out of 23 sports disciplines. According to Cam Nguyen Anh Huy, an official at the General Service Center of Ward 1 in Bao Loc and a representative of Cluster 5, each ward and commune oversees two to three sports, managing tasks from athlete roster compilation and training organization to competition execution and financial settlement. To date, Cluster 5 has completed 15 out of 15 disciplines, making it the unit participating in the highest number of sports among the clusters and units in the province. The cluster mobilized 214 athletes and secured 76 medals, comprising 19 gold medals, 22 silver medals, and 35 bronze medals, ranking third overall across the delegation after 15 disciplines, trailing only the Lam Dong Department of Education and Training and Cluster 19.

According to Huy, Cluster 5 has mobilized its top athletes across all competitive disciplines, backed by seamless coordination and a strong sense of responsibility from participating wards and communes. In the coming days, the cluster will compete in five remaining sports: athletics, crossbow and slingshot shooting, stilt walking, tug-of-war, and stick pushing. "We remain confident that more gold medals lie ahead, and our athletes will continue to push for the best possible results," Huy emphasized.

Viet Trong