In Vietnamese badminton, few athletes attract strong attention like Nguyen Thi Thu Huyen, a 14-year-old girl who has created an incredible "explosion" in the last months of 2025.
Thu Huyen is not only one of the most promising young tennis players in the country, but also a face expected to follow in the footsteps of senior players, such as Nguyen Thuy Linh.
Born in 2011 and originally from Hai Duong (now Hai Phong), Thu Huyen soon showed talent in her teens. For the past 4 years, she has continuously dominated youth tournaments in the country and won many titles, proving the early qualities of a professional athlete. Thanks to being invested in and trained methodically with the youth team and recruited to Dong Nai team, Thu Huyen has the conditions to develop tactics and techniques in a professional environment.
International turning point
Thu Huyen's name really exploded internationally when she won a silver medal in the U15 women's singles at the 2024 Asian Youth Badminton Championship held in China - a historic achievement when a Vietnamese player reached the continental final in this event for the first time.
In early December 2025, Thu Huyen continued her international competition trip in Bangladesh International Challenge and Bangladesh International Series. Here, despite facing many older opponents from 4 to 8 years old and having a much higher ranking in the world rankings, she still caused a shock with important victories, including defeating the 7th seed of the tournament to advance deeper in women's singles events.
Historic 714-degree jump
Impressive competition results helped Thu Huyen have a spectacular jump on the rankings of the World Badminton Federation (BWF). In just one month, she rose from 1,042 to 328th in the world - equivalent to an increase of 714 places, one of the most impressive advances in the international badminton competition system.
Currently, at the age of 14, Thu Huyen has become the fourth highest-ranked female tennis player in Vietnam on the world rankings, only behind experienced names such as Nguyen Thuy Linh, Vu Thi Trang and Bui Bich Phuong.
Not only impressing in the international arena, Thu Huyen is also the hope of Vietnamese sports in bigger goals such as SEA Games and international youth tournaments in 2026.
With a methodical training plan, support from the Federation and stable performance, she is considered one of the most promising faces for the future of Vietnamese women's badminton.
