Why vegetarian?
Do Hoang Hen rarely has to be sidelined due to injury. The period he played the least in more than 5 seasons in the V.League was the period waiting for naturalization to become a Vietnamese citizen, thereby playing as a domestic player at Hanoi club.
Immediately after reappearing on the field, similar to the time he wore the shirts of Binh Dinh and Nam Dinh, Do Hoang Hen immediately scored 6 goals and had 3 assists to help the Capital team return to the championship race.
Speaking of Hoang Hen's physique, to have a solid foundation and limit injuries, the player born in 1994 has been vegetarian for many years.
From the age of 27-28, I asked myself how I would maintain my physical fitness when I stepped onto the other side of my career. Every player cares about themselves after the age of 30. This is also the reason why I study nutrition.
Prioritizing choosing foods rich in fiber, limiting fat and starch is what I choose, with the hope that I can maintain a professional playing state as long as possible," Hoang Hen confided.
Hoang Hen limits beer and alcohol. His refrigerator is mostly vegetarian dishes, from tofu, vegetables or some eggs.
I have been vegetarian for more than 6 years, before coming to Vietnam. I like to eat vegetables and fruits. I find that vegetarianism recovers better after the match, limiting injuries. Eating low-protein, high-fiber dishes helps me feel healthy.
Lais Machado - my girlfriend often arranges portions into boxes and puts them in the refrigerator. Each meal, I just need to prepare quickly or can enjoy them right away.
Near the apartment area where I live, there are also vegetarian shops specializing in selling vegetarian food. Therefore, I can choose diversely with many different tastes," Hen said.
Hard work
From Binh Dinh, Nam Dinh or Hanoi FC clubs currently, Do Hoang Hen still maintains professional training habits. He buys more equipment such as running machines, weights, balance balls... and arranges them separately in a room at his home.
“This is very important for every professional player. When there is no team training session, I regularly train here. Even before going to the training ground with the whole team, I also take advantage of warming up my body at home.
When I was in Quy Nhon, I often ran around the beach. When I was in Nam Dinh or Hanoi teams, I also looked for space as large as a park to maintain my physical foundation," the 32-year-old striker shared.
Not only diligently training physically, Hoang Hen also diligently learns Vietnamese.
He said: "After 1 year in Vietnam, I feel that life here is very suitable for myself. People, food, and scenery are all wonderful. This is the reason I decided to learn more Vietnamese as well as want to live here longer.
I learned Vietnamese from a teacher in Hanoi. For more than 2 years, I studied with her regularly 3 times a week. When I was in Nam Dinh, whenever I didn't understand a word, I asked Hong Duy and Tuan Anh. Both of them understood English, so they also helped me a lot while learning Vietnamese.
Up to this point, Hoang Hen has memorized the Vietnamese national anthem. Especially, he also understands the meaning of some sentences in the song.
The Vietnamese army goes... means cheering, determination, trying to move towards a big goal. I understand that," Hoang Hen expressed.
Mother Hoang Hen loves Vietnam
At the time of being called up to the Vietnamese national team, Hoang Hen announced the good news to 2 women. One is Lais Machado - the girlfriend who has stood side by side with him in Vietnam, and the other is his mother.
Unfortunately, due to illness, Hoang Hen's mother has not been able to come to Vietnam to accompany her son in the first matches wearing the national team jersey.
Previously, Hoang Hen's family had been to Vietnam. "When I came here, my mother loved Vietnam, so did my girlfriend. She is currently living with me here. Even my friends when visiting Vietnam also enjoy life here very much. We travel around the country whenever I have time to rest," Hen confided.
