Thuy Linh: Asian Games are very harsh, Vietnamese badminton cannot easily win medals

In a recent interview with Dan Tri, Vietnam’s top female badminton player Nguyen Thuy Linh spoke candidly about her journey toward the 20th Asian Games in Japan. She stressed that the Asiad arena is very harsh, bringing together the continent’s leading players, and that winning a medal is never easy. Her comments reflect not only the awareness of an experienced athlete but also the real picture of Vietnamese badminton against regional powers. This is a notable perspective because she is one of the few Vietnamese athletes who has consistently appeared at major events such as the Asian Games and the Olympics. Those experiences have helped her understand the gap between Vietnamese badminton and Asia’s strongest badminton nations. According to Thuy Linh, the Asiad is not like regional tournaments. It gathers almost all the strongest players from Japan, China, South Korea, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, India and many other countries and territories. Every match is high-intensity, demanding maximum fitness, speed, accuracy and mental courage. A single moment of lost focus can cost an athlete the match. Therefore, aiming for a medal at the Asiad is always a major challenge, even for players who receive systematic investment and compete internationally regularly. In her sharing, the player born in 2026 also mentioned her long journey. She has competed in three consecutive Asian Games and two Olympics, the most recent being Paris 2026. That is a remarkable achievement for a Vietnamese athlete, because appearing at these events requires years of accumulating points, maintaining ranking and performing consistently. However, facing the world’s top opponents has helped Thuy Linh realize that the gap for Vietnamese badminton is not only about expertise, but also about investment conditions, sports science and the competition system. One of the most mentioned issues is the disparity in resources. Strong teams such as Japan, China, South Korea and Indonesia have in-depth coaching systems, fitness experts, doctors, nutritionists and psychologists. They also have conditions for long-term training camps abroad and participate in many tournaments within the Badminton World Federation system. Meanwhile, Vietnamese badminton remains limited in funding, the number of competitive tournaments and support staff. This forces Vietnamese players to make extraordinary efforts to compensate for some of the shortfall in conditions. Thuy Linh said that the lack of foreign coaches or international experts is an obstacle. In many countries, foreign coaches not only help improve technique and tactics but also bring modern competitive thinking, opponent analysis and methods of managing physical condition. Without such support, athletes can easily fall into a loop of training based on old experience, making it hard to break through against opponents who constantly innovate. However, she also admitted that the efforts of the current coaching staff, who always try under limited conditions, cannot be denied. Besides professional factors, psychological pressure is also a major barrier. At the Asiad, every match is tied to national expectations, while Vietnamese players often do not have many opportunities to compete in front of large crowds or in similarly tense atmospheres. That makes maintaining stability difficult. Thuy Linh shared that she learns to focus on each point and each match instead of thinking too much about the final result. This approach helps her reduce pressure and play with more confidence, no matter how strong the opponent is. Looking at recent Asian Games, Vietnamese badminton has not won many medals. Players often stop in the early rounds or meet opponents who are too strong from the first match. This reflects not only a gap in level but also the harshness of a highly competitive arena. To win a medal, an athlete must not only peak in one match but also maintain stability across many rounds. That is what Asia’s leading badminton nations have done thanks to professional training and competition systems. Thuy Linh also emphasized that she always wants to go further, but goals must be set realistically. Instead of promising a medal, she focuses on improving each skill, raising her fitness and accumulating experience. She understands that success at the Asiad does not come from luck but from long-term preparation. In an arena that gathers top-ranked players in the world, passing each round is already an encouraging achievement. However, she does not lower her ambition because of that. Thuy Linh’s role in the Vietnamese badminton team is becoming increasingly important. She is the leader in women’s singles and also a role model for young athletes. Her sharing about difficulties is not meant to be pessimistic, but to look straight at the problem. If Vietnamese badminton wants to reach an Asiad medal, it needs a long-term strategy: investing in youth training, hiring foreign experts in suitable positions, increasing international training camps and improving nutrition and sports medicine. That is a path that cannot be shortened by a few isolated tournaments. When asked about her chances at Asiad 20 in Japan, Thuy Linh was cautious. She said the arena is very harsh and winning a medal is not easy. But that caution comes with determination. She will give maximum effort in every match, using experience from three Asian Games and two Olympics to compete with more courage. For her, every time wearing the national team jersey is a pride, and the most important goal is to show the spirit of Vietnamese sport. From Thuy Linh’s story, it is clear that Vietnamese badminton faces a major problem. Her individual achievements are a bright spot, but to have more players capable of competing at the Asian Games and Olympics, systematic change is needed. Investment is not only money but also a training environment, expert staff, competition plans and policies to support athletes. If these factors improve, Vietnamese badminton can narrow the gap with Asian powers. At the end of her sharing, Thuy Linh did not make a promise about a medal. She only affirmed that she will continue to dedicate herself and try her best. In a harsh arena like the Asiad, such honesty shows the courage of an experienced athlete. Vietnamese badminton fans can look forward to her fighting spirit, while understanding that achieving great results requires more than the effort of one individual. Thuy Linh’s story is a reminder of a long journey, where every step forward is worth respecting. In women’s singles, players from Japan, China, South Korea, Indonesia and Thailand often dominate. They have strong physical foundations, fast playing styles and flexible handling of situations. Many of them regularly appear in world-class tournaments and have even beaten top-ranked players. Therefore, to compete for a medal, Thuy Linh and her teammates must overcome opponents with higher class in many aspects. This is a challenge not only for her but for Vietnamese badminton as a whole. 2026 was considered an unsuccessful year for Vietnamese badminton in general and Thuy Linh in particular. Although there were times of good play, the final results still did not meet expectations. That further shows the pressure and difficulty when entering major arenas. However, failure is also a lesson. Thuy Linh said she learned many things about preparation, keeping psychology and dealing with different opponents. Those experiences will be applied to her upcoming goals. Regarding training, she said she always desires to work with international experts to learn more. Badminton requires continuous updates in technique, tactics and physical methods. If training only in a closed environment, athletes find it hard to keep up with trends. Hiring foreign coaches not only helps one individual but also raises the level of the whole team. That is the direction many countries in the region have successfully applied. In addition, funding also directly affects competition plans. Each training camp and international tournament requires large costs. Without strong enough sponsorship, athletes have fewer opportunities to compete. This creates a vicious cycle: lack of competition leads to lack of experience, lack of experience leads to limited results, and limited results make it hard to attract investment. Breaking that cycle requires the joint efforts of the state, federations, businesses and society. Fans can see in Thuy Linh a spirit that does not give up. She does not avoid the truth that the Asiad is very difficult. But that frankness creates respect. Instead of creating unrealistic expectations, she chooses to speak accurately about reality and focus on personal effort. That is the quality of a professional athlete who understands her limits and opportunities. For Vietnamese badminton, such sharing is a necessary message for positive change.