Information from the Nam Dinh Province Sports Training and Competition Center said that Mr. Nguyen Van Thuyet passed away on the morning of February 12 after a period of illness.
Mr. Nguyen Van Thuyet was born in 1955 in Nhan Chinh, Ly Nhan, Ha Nam province (formerly Ha Nam Ninh province). During his lifetime, he was a legend of the Vietnamese marathon, participating in the Olympics twice in 1980 and 1988; and once in the Goodwill tournament.
After retiring in 1990, Mr. Thuyet went to Nam Dinh to start a career as an athletics coach. He passed on his passion to many generations and especially had 5 children who made waves in cross-country running in Vietnam. All 5 were awarded the title of sports grandmaster.
Not only is he a monument of Vietnam marathon, Mr. Nguyen Van Thuyet is also known as a special supporter of Nam Dinh football. Few fans in Thanh Nam do not know the nickname Thuyet "drum".
He once brought to the stands a drum weighing 30kg, 80cm high, 65cm in diameter, which was financially supported by the leaders of the Nam Dinh Department of Physical Education and Sports (now the Nam Dinh Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism) and the Nam Dinh club.
Since then, regardless of the team's performance, he has always been present in the stands with the exciting drum beats, motivating the players. The image of Mr. Nguyen Van Thuyet has been deeply attached to the matches at Chua Cuoi and Thien Truong stadiums.
The former marathon runner from Ha Nam province's relationship with football continued when one of his children married the Technical Director of Nam Dinh Club - Mr. Nguyen Trung Kien.
After nearly 3 decades of persistent involvement with Nam Dinh and Vietnamese football, in the past few years, Mr. Nguyen Van Thuyet has not played on the field due to health reasons.
The homepage of Nam Dinh Club has an article in memory of the legendary drummer. In the comments, many fans expressed their condolences and sent their thanks for the years Mr. Nguyen Van Thuyet devoted all his love to Thanh Nam football.
