The work is practical
This year, former athlete of the Vietnam National Athletics Team Quach Cong Lich has had 1 year of experience switching to coaching career. Giã từ sự nghiệp thi đấu and chia tay Đội tuyển điền kinh Việt Nam năm 2025, Quach Cong Lich được đơn vị chủ quản Thanh Hoa bố trí công việc in Ban huấn luyện đội điền kinh địa phương.
Coach Quach Cong Lich is currently directly leading the Thanh Hoa youth athletics team. He shared that he is still accumulating training experience and drawing lessons from his seniors: It is necessary to prepare a professional foundation and clear career orientation to facilitate the transition to coaching work after retirement. He also said that he is lucky to be facilitated by the managing unit to arrange work suitable to his expertise.
The image of Quach Cong Lich putting on his shoes and going to the field to warm up for training and competition has closed. Instead, at this time, coach Quach Cong Lich's permanent item going to the field is a chronograph and professional lesson plans to teach students.
Coach Quach Cong Lich determined that sports training is a long-term career, requiring serious professional preparation. Right from when he was still competing, he actively completed the program of Bac Ninh University of Physical Education and Sports and studied for a Master of Physical Education, creating a foundation for confidently moving to current coaching work.
Former volleyball player Nguyen Thi Ngoc Hoa went through youth athlete training before becoming head coach of VTV Binh Dien Long An team from September 2025. Under her professional talent, VTV Binh Dien Long An team won the national championship in 2025. Ngoc Hoa became the youngest female coach in history to win the national championship. At that time, this coach was 38 years old.
However, coach Ngoc Hoa once humbly shared on the sidelines of the 2025 National Volleyball Championship: "I see that coaching is not easy. Athletes who end their careers want to have a job that suits their expertise, the most important thing is to prepare themselves as well as build goals to aim for.
Policy will not abandon talented people
Of course, not every athlete is lucky enough to find a job as a professional coach immediately after retiring. However, from 2026, Decree No. 349/2025/ND-CP, which has taken effect, will help athletes have specific opportunities to orient their careers.
Athletes who win medals at the Olympics, ASIAD, SEA Games are admitted to work as civil servants if they meet the registration conditions and requirements of the job position or are given priority points in the recruitment of workers at sports facilities when they have sufficient qualifications and professional capacity suitable to the requirements of the recruitment position. During the probation period, they are entitled to 100% of the salary and allowances of the professional title corresponding to the job position", regulations recorded in Decree No. 349/2025/ND-CP.
The regulation emphasizes: "National sports team athletes, sports teams of sectors, provinces, and centrally-run cities when ceasing to be athletes are supported with professional counseling and training according to the provisions of law; athletes who win medals at Olympics and ASIAD are entitled to policies on policies to attract and value teachers of the Law on Teachers".
Athletes with qualifications and abilities, and competition achievements have the opportunity to enjoy policies to attract and recruit, including priorities in recruitment and reception; salaries, allowances; training and fostering; planning and appointment; working conditions, working equipment; welfare and other policies according to the provisions of law that the Law on Teachers has specifically stated.
The bottleneck of policies and regimes on employment for athletes after competition has been removed when Decree No. 349/2025/ND-CP was issued. Now, athletes have better treatment to have the opportunity to study, develop their careers and improve their achievements for the Vietnamese sports career.
