From fields to grass fields
For female players participating in the Vietnamese Ethnic Minority Women's Football Tournament - VTV Cup I, 2026, football is not a profession.
Most of them are women who are used to dirty hands, early field trips, taking care of their families and daily livelihoods.
But when the training whistle sounded, the ball became a special joy.
Some girls run dozens of kilometers from the village to the yard, some have to arrange family matters, some temporarily put aside farm work to practice tactics and physical training with their teammates.
At the 1st VTV Cup in 2026, 12 teams from 9 localities across the country will compete from August 23-29 at Nghia Lo Ward Stadium, Lao Cai province.
Host Lao Cai contributed 4 teams including Nghia Lo ward, Lam Thuong commune, Vo Lao commune and Luc Yen commune. The remaining 8 teams came from Van Son commune (Phu Tho), Pac Ta commune (Lai Chau), Muong Pon commune (Dien Bien), Lam Binh commune (Tuyen Quang), Dak Doa commune (Gia Lai), Ea Pal commune (Dak Lak), Nam Tuan commune (Cao Bang) and Quy Hop commune (Nghe An).
This is the first time the Vietnamese Ethnic Minority Women's Football Tournament - VTV Cup has been organized, opening up a national-scale playground for non-professional female players in ethnic minority areas.
Champion returns
Among the teams of Lao Cai, Lam Thuong commune is particularly noticed as it is the champion of the 2025 Quang Ninh Provincial Ethnic Minority Women's Football Tournament - VTV5 Cup.
At last year's tournament, the Lam Thuong girls defeated Mong Duong (Quang Ninh) with a score of 4-1 in the final to bring the cup to Lao Cai.
This team also won many individual titles, in which Hoang Thi Huyen was awarded the Best Player award, Nong Thi Phuong was the Best Goalkeeper and Hoang Phuong Thuy received the Miss title of the tournament.
Hoang Thi Huyen, one of the prominent faces of Lam Thuong, said that after working hours, the players take advantage of the time to practice, together maintaining the women's football movement in the locality.
The 2025 championship is therefore not just a cup. It is also a motivation for the players to continue training and enter the VTV Cup 2026 with higher determination.
Lam Thuong's story once created a special impression in Quang Ninh when hundreds of fans from Lao Cai traveled more than 500km to support the team.
Notably, the team also has two mothers and daughters, Nong Thi Yeu and goalkeeper Nong Thi Phuong, competing together.
Bringing homeland culture far away
Ms. Ha Thi Trien - Head of the Muong Lo - Nghia Lo ethnic minority women's football team said that playing in a national-scale tournament is a special experience for the players.
Previously, female players mainly played football at local amateur stadiums. Labor was still the main thing, and training was taken advantage of in free time.
We are very excited and looking forward to the opening day of the tournament. This is also an opportunity to meet sisters who share the same passion for football and introduce the image and culture of our homeland to friends across the country" - Ms. Trien shared.
According to the Organizing Committee, the teams did not only come to compete for a cup. Each team also brought a story about their homeland, people and culture of their ethnic community.
The competition costumes are inspired by patterns, colors and traditional materials of each ethnic group.
On modern football fields, those cultural features will appear together, creating a sports space rich in identity.
In addition to the matches, the Organizing Committee also integrated local cultural experience activities, including a space to introduce Xip Xi Tet of the Thai people in Nghia Lo ward.
Ms. Vu Thi Hien Hanh - Vice Chairwoman of Lao Cai Provincial People's Committee said that the locality has fully prepared facilities, accommodation and travel conditions, along with security and medical assurance plans for the tournament to take place safely.
All matches will be broadcast live on VTV5, VTV5 Southwest Region, VTV5 Central Highlands, VTV6, VTVgo application and digital platforms of Vietnam Television.
