Dang Tieu Binh (Nana), a girl born in 2000, is a young athlete of the Vietnamese wushu team. She started training at the age of 7, and now she has spent 15 years committed to this traditional sport.
Once ranked in the Top 3 at the World Youth Wushu Championships, Top 2 at the Asian Youth Wushu Championships, the recent SEA Games 31 was also an opportunity for Tieu Binh to showcase her abilities, winning 2 Bronze Medals for the Vietnamese sports delegation in the women’s traditional and martial arts categories.
“Initially, my family enrolled me in wushu to improve my health and reduce minor illnesses. Later, my teachers discovered my talent, so I was selected to join the training team to pursue it professionally.
In my first participation in the SEA Games, I was fortunate to be chosen to compete, even though there were no specific targets prior to the event and I just needed to perform my best. I still achieved some results. Although not remarkable, it was a stepping stone for me to strive harder.”
She only dares to attribute her medal wins to luck, but few know that just before the competition, the female athlete received harsh comments, even criticism, from her coach for not executing a performance move correctly:
“The coach said that not everyone gets a chance to compete, and I have been struggling with just one move that I couldn’t perfect. Along with that were many words that made me choke up, almost crying. That night, I thought a lot and then jumped up to the mat to practice, dedicating three hours to repeating it until 2 AM the next morning. And in the end, I did it.”
The silent efforts of the female athlete were rewarded during her first appearance at the Southeast Asian Games SEA Games 31. However, just three days after the moment she stood on the podium to receive her medals, Dang Tieu Binh unexpectedly appeared on the OnLan competition stage of the VCT Challengers Vietnam Stage 2 (part of the official Valorant tournament system) as an MC with the nickname Nana. This sudden transition, bringing herself to face challenges in a completely new field unrelated to wushu, attracted the attention of the Esports community, as this was an unprecedented case.
Fans believe that making such a bold decision requires her to be extremely strong and resilient.
“Strong, confident, and tough are the words I think best describe my personality.
I have lived with my mother since I was little, and she has raised me on her own. Even though I don’t have my father by my side, I’ve never felt disadvantaged. I realized early on that my parents were no longer happy living together, so their separation was necessary. While many people often whisper to me to encourage my parents to reconcile, I don’t want that. I want my parents to live happily.
My independent personality, influenced by my mother, along with years of practicing sports, has made me strong like I am today,” Nana shared.
No matter how strong she is, the shift to a completely different field from the work she has dedicated 15 years to has made the young girl face many difficulties, the first being the need to rearrange her time.
“Compared to other friends, I don’t have much free time. As a child, I practiced in the morning and afternoon, and studied in the evening. Summer days were even more focused on wushu to prepare for competitions. Now, I practice sports in the morning and afternoon, and in the evening, I play or work on Valorant tournaments. There are days when I work until 1-2 AM, which is normal. However, this is work I enjoy and want to do, so I feel very happy.”
The gentle, different images of the girl.
From that reflection, it is easy to understand that her love for games in general and Valorant in particular has been nurtured for a long time, not just recently. Nana stated that she has liked playing games since she was a child but never had the opportunity to pursue this interest, so when she had the chance, she played League of Legends, later switching to Valorant. And then, the desire to contribute to Esports grew stronger, after some time lurking in gaming forums, Binh boldly contacted the admin and proposed to volunteer:
“At the end of 2021, I realized that there were very few personnel for tournaments in the community, so I texted asking to become a referee, volunteering to support the tournament unconditionally and was accepted as a referee. I remember spending 5 days translating the competition rules from English and memorizing all the laws, preparing the best for the job. I worked hard at small tournaments and then bigger ones, gradually becoming an official referee, then head referee at the Valorant tournament,” Nana is the only girl to conquer this position.
Nana’s journey to conquer Esports does not stop there. The opportunity to try her hand as an MC for the Valorant tournament came unexpectedly: “Right after the competitions at SEA Games 31 ended, I had the chance to experience being an MC interviewing players after the match at the final of VCT Challengers Vietnam Stage 2.
It was my first time hosting, and even though I prepared well, I felt overwhelmed in front of the live camera, stuttering. There were many harsh comments from the online community, but I didn’t see that as pressure. I took constructive feedback and ignored the negative comments. Many people and colleagues also supported and comforted me, encouraging me to try harder for the next times.”
Especially, from someone who did not like games, fearing that girls would neglect their wushu training, Nana’s mother now understands much more about Esports and fully supports all her daughter’s decisions, which is her greatest motivation.
Looking back at her first time as an MC, Nana gives herself a score of 6 out of 10. The positive aspect is that she was daring, proactive in receiving feedback, and did not shy away from criticism but faced it boldly, even when encountering the incident of mispronouncing a team name. Although she quickly adapted, she still admits that she was inexperienced and could not clearly express her own style.
Nevertheless, for Nana, this was a very special tournament. Because thanks to this stage, the community knows her better. It will no longer be that only the competing players know Nana in her role as a referee, but the audience will also know Nana as the MC of the Valorant stage.
A naturally energetic person with dreams and determination, Nana once again surprises her supporters with her goal of conquering Esports in the last six months of the year:
“I am passionate about competing and always want to be a player. In the near future, there are not many major wushu and Valorant tournaments, so I will dedicate time to hone my skills so that next year I can join the male Valorant team. I might take on the role of Duelist or Sentinel – my strengths.
I won’t do it unless I am determined to match my male counterparts. I admire their shooting style and reflexes, so I want to learn from them while proving that female players are not inferior. Especially to make myself stand out.”
Nana believes that with her determination and the strong support from her family, especially from her mother, she will continue to have exciting experiences and achieve success on her journey to conquer Esports.