The Vietnamese sports community is shocked as top canoeist Nguyen Thi Huong, who competed in the Paris 2024 Olympics, has requested to quit training as a professional athlete for her hometown of northern Vinh Phuc Province due to unpaid bonuses from the past three years.

In a resignation letter submitted on December 31, 2024, to the Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism of Vinh Phuc and the province’s Sports Training and Competition Center, Huong, born in 2001, stated that she had not received either medal bonuses from domestic competitions from 2022 to 2024 or nutritional support for 2024. 

“Because of personal and family circumstances, I respectfully request a leave of absence from training in canoeing for Vinh Phuc Province, starting January 1, 2025,” she wrote in the letter.

Despite the lack of payments and her desire to cease training for her hometown, Huong continues to train with the national canoeing team in Hai Phong City.

Huong is a leading figure in Vietnamese canoeing, having achieved numerous accolades, including a silver medal at the 2024 Asian Canoe Sprint Championships in Japan and participation in the Paris 2024 Olympics in the women’s 200m event. 

She has also won multiple gold medals at the Southeast Asian Games.

Her case has sparked significant attention in the Vietnamese sports community, with her request now pending review by the leaders of the Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism of Vinh Phuc.

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