A smooth start with professional volleyball
In early July 2024, the Ho Chi Minh City Police men's volleyball team changed its head coach position. Famous amateur volleyball player Vu Van Duan was entrusted with the task of leading the club.
As soon as he started coaching a professional football team, he won two championships with the Ho Chi Minh City Police Club in the Open Police Tournament and the 2024 National A-Class Finals. The 2024 National A-Class Finals championship also helped coach Vu Van Duan and his team get a ticket to be promoted to play in the national championship next year.
Mr. Duan shared: "The last two championships were of great significance when I first started my coaching career. With the Public Security Open Tournament, it was a very important tournament of the year for the Ho Chi Minh City Public Security team. At that time, I had only been leading the team for a short time. The tournament had very high professional quality, gathering many strong teams in the South such as Vinh Long, Long An and the guest team from Cambodia.
I was under a lot of pressure because I hadn't prepared much. Luckily, the whole team was in high spirits and tried their best to win the championship. That spirit was maintained by the players until the 2024 National A-League finals. Ho Chi Minh City Police got a promotion ticket, only then could I relieve the pressure and enjoy the common joy."
The captain of the Ho Chi Minh City Police men's team affirmed that the spirit of solidarity and disciplined play, with the players fully promoting their strengths and improving their weaknesses, are the factors that helped the team win the last two titles.
"After getting the promotion ticket, our team still has a lot of work to do such as perfecting the personnel system, trying to bring more excellent athletes to serve next year to achieve the goal of staying in the league. Personally, I also set a higher goal of helping the team win a prize, if lucky, maybe in the top 4 of the national championship next year", coach Vu Van Duan expressed.
Prioritize volleyball despite owning its own brand
Few people know that, besides being a coach, Mr. Vu Van Duan is also a businessman and a university lecturer. He is the founder of a company specializing in the production of shoes and sportswear.
In 2024, coach Vu Van Duan's company received the prestigious award "Top 10 National Sustainable Brand Development Brands 2024". In addition, Mr. Duan is also the founder of a leading media company specializing in filming and commentating on amateur volleyball matches in Vietnam.
In addition, the captain of the Ho Chi Minh City Police men's volleyball team is also a lecturer at the Vietnam Women's Academy. Coach Vu Van Duan himself admitted that he had support from his family, especially his wife, to be able to focus on his job as a coach.
"I am one of the lucky ones who, although I am an athlete, have some other jobs on the side to maintain the economy for myself and my family. The immediate success of the business is thanks to the trust of customers. When I was assigned to lead the Ho Chi Minh City Police team, my wife effectively supported me in managing the company so that I could focus on the team.
At the Academy, I was a physical education lecturer and was also given a lot of favorable conditions by the Board of Directors. I was really lucky. I believe that if you do too many things without putting your heart into it, no job will be complete. My passion and love for volleyball is still very burning, so thanks to the strong support from relatives, family and colleagues, I can wholeheartedly train the Ho Chi Minh City Police team.
I always try to arrange and organize my time to complete my duties with the club while still maintaining my remaining work," the coach from Thanh Hoa shared.
