Thuy Hien- the World Wushu Champion tells how her mother helped her train: As a child, I liked learning martial arts. When I was nine, my sister, Thuy Vinh, and I secretly joined a class at Duc Giang Primary School. When our parents found out, my father encouraged us, but my mother did not. “I don’t want my girls to practice martial arts,” she said.
However, my sister and I kept going in secret, took part in the Hanoi Championship of Traditional Martial Arts and won a prize. Most of my family was very happy; my father tried to make my mother change her mind. After that, I enrolled in a wushu course at the Hanoi Bureau of Physical and Sports Education, which was fifteen kilometers from home. At first, my father took me there and back. However, he grew busier in his work and asked my mother to help. My mother was a hairdresser; sometimes, she had to close her shop to take me to Hanoi. She did this in spite of harsh weather. She always gave me a little money even though we were not rich. Then I won a coaching trip to China.
“My dear,” my mother said, “try for the highest accomplishment possible for the country. That will be your greatest gift to me.” I attribute my many achievements to my mother’s care and attention. Wherever I go and however high my accomplishments, I always recall my mother’s teachings. I tell myself that if I try harder, I will return her love and care.
