Trần Hiếu Ngân (born June 26, 1974 in

Tuy Hòa Tuy Hòa () is the coastal city and capital of Phú Yên Province in South-Central Vietnam. The city has a total area of and a population of 155.921 (in 2019). The city is located approximately midway between Nha Trang and Qui Nhơn. The city ...

, Phú Yên) is a Vietnamese

Taekwondo Taekwondo (; ; ) is a Korean martial art and combat sport involving primarily kicking techniques and punching. "Taekwondo" can be translated as ''tae'' ("strike with foot"), ''kwon'' ("strike with hand"), and ''do'' ("the art or way"). In ad ...

athlete who competed in the Women's 49-57 kg weight class at the Sydney

2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, officially branded as Sydney 2000, and also known as the Games of the New Millennium, were an international multi-sport event held from 15 September to 1 October ...

, where she won the silver medal. She was the first Vietnamese athlete to win a medal at the Olympic Games.

Early life

Trần Hiếu Ngân was born on June 26, 1974, in the coastal city of

, Phú Yên province, as the fourth child in a family of eight siblings, with the family’s main occupation as bakers. Her father was a disciple of

Shaolin kung fu Shaolin kung fu (), also called Shaolin Wushu (), or Shaolin quan (), is the largest and most famous style of Chinese martial arts, kung fu. It combines Chan Buddhism, Chan philosophy and martial arts. It was developed in the Shaolin Temple in ...

and encouraged his children to learn martial arts for health, fitness and self-defense. When the Sports and Physical Education Center of the town opened its first

class in 1987, he sent 13 year old Hiếu Ngân to learn. From that point, Hiếu Ngân’s path to Taekwondo opened up, as she achieved many accomplishments in competitions both domestically and internationally.

Career and Road to the Olympics

In 1990, at the National Championship held in Ho Chi Minh City, Ngân won the Silver Medal in the Poomsae (Forms) event. This initial success motivated her in the following years, leading to continued achievements: • Silver Medal in the 51 kg category (1991) • Silver Medal in Poomsae (1992) • Gold Medal in the 55 kg category (1995) These successes established Hiếu Ngân as an influential figure in Vietnamese Taekwondo, prompting her to move from Phu Yen to

Ho Chi Minh City Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) ('','' TP.HCM; ), commonly known as Saigon (; ), is the most populous city in Vietnam with a population of around 14 million in 2025. The city's geography is defined by rivers and canals, of which the largest is Saigo ...

to continue her training under more experienced Coaches such as Coach Trương Ngọc Để, aiming to compete in international arenas. From 1995 to 2000, her name was consistently listed among Vietnam’s top sports achievements: • Gold Medal at the National Championship (1993, 1994, 1996) • Gold Medal at the

1995 SEA Games The 1995 Southeast Asian Games, officially known as the 18th Southeast Asian Games, Chiang Mai, 1995 (), were a Southeast Asian multi-sport event held in Chiang Mai, Thailand from 9 to 17 December 1995. It was the first time that a non-capital ...

• Gold Medal at the Southeast Asian Championship (1996) • Gold Medal at the Asian Championship (1998) • Bronze Medal at the

1998 Asian Games The 1998 Asian Games (), officially known as the 13th Asian Games () and the XIII Asiad,, or simply Bangkok 1998 (), were an Asian multi-sport event celebrated in Bangkok, Thailand from December 6 to 20, 1998, with 377 events in 36 sports and di ...

• 1st Place at the Asian Qualifiers for the 2000 Sydney Olympics (1999) On the afternoon of September 28, 2000, at the

Sydney 2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, officially branded as Sydney 2000, and also known as the Games of the New Millennium, were an international multi-sport event held from 15 September to 1 October ...

, Trần Hiếu Ngân made history for Vietnamese sports by winning the first Olympic Silver Medal for Vietnam. After winning Hiếu Ngân decided to retire from competition and became the treasurer of the Ho Chi Minh City Martial Arts Training Center while also serving as a coach for the youth team of Ho Chi Minh City. She married and had a daughter in 2002.

Awards and honors

In addition to the medals and rankings achieved, Hiếu Ngân received numerous certificates of merit from: • The People’s Committee of Phu Yen Province • The Vietnam Sports and Physical Education Committee • The Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union • The Vietnam Young Talent Support Fund In 2000, she was awarded the Second-Class

Labor Order The Labor Order () is an award conferred or posthumously conferred by the Government of Vietnam on individuals and conferred on collectives that have recorded outstanding achievements in labor, creativity or national construction. There are thre ...

by the president of Vietnam

Trần Đức Lương Trần Đức Lương (; 5 May 1937 – 20 May 2025) was a Vietnamese politician who served as the sixth President of Vietnam from 1997 to 2006. Early life Trần Đức Lương was born in Đức Phổ District, Quảng Ngãi Province and ...

Notes and references

External links

* * * 1974 births Living people People from Phú Yên province Vietnamese female taekwondo practitioners Taekwondo practitioners at the 2000 Summer Olympics Olympic taekwondo practitioners for Vietnam Olympic silver medalists for Vietnam Olympic medalists in taekwondo Medalists at the 2000 Summer Olympics Asian Games bronze medalists in taekwondo Taekwondo practitioners at the 1998 Asian Games Asian Games bronze medalists for Vietnam Medalists at the 1998 Asian Games Asian Taekwondo Championships medalists 21st-century Vietnamese sportswomen {{vietnam-Olympic-medalist-stub