Marrying older women popular trend among athletes

Dancesport couple Phan Hien, 30, and Khanh Thi, 41

Dancesport athletes Phan Hien, 30, and Khanh Thi, 41. Photo from Thi's Facebook

Hien and Thi are considered the most renowned dancesport athletes in Vietnam.

Thi made many of contributions to the country’s dance scene in the 2000s. She has won many awards throughout her career, including two gold medals when performing with Hien at the 2009 Asian Indoor Games.

Hien won three gold medals in dancesport at the 31st SEA Games held in Hanoi last year.

The couple got to know each other when Thi offered to be the 14-year-old Hien’s dancesport private teacher. The young man fell for his instructor as time passed by.

The age gap between the two and objections from their families were obstacles for them at first, making the relationship between them rocky. But Hien’s genuinity made Thi convinced in the end.

The couple officially tied the knot last year and have had three children together.

Tennis player Ly Hoang Nam, 26, and wife Huynh Ngoc Phuong Trinh, 28

The couple tied the knot last year after a five-year relationship.

Trinh has been seen accompanying Nam to several championships in Vietnam and abroad to support her husband.

Nam won the Wimbledon Wimbledon Boys’ doubles championship in 2015, playing alongside Indian Sumit Nagal. He now ranks 448 worldwide.

Chess grandmasters Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son, 33, and Pham Le Thao Nguyen, 36

Son and Nguyen have been considered top chess players in Vietnam over the past 10 years.

Son is the youngest Vietnamese ever to become a grandmaster, and one of the youngest grandmasters in the history of the game, having qualified for the title at the age of fourteen.

Nguyen played multiple times for the Vietnam national team in many international championships.

The couple started dating in 2008 and tied the knot in 2015.

Footballer Dinh Trong, 26, and wife Huyen Trang, 28

Footballer Dinh Trong, 26, and wife Huyen Trang, 28. Photo from Trong's Facebook

Trong is considered one of the top defenders in Vietnam. He didn’t miss a single minute in AFC U23 Championship 2018, where Vietnam finished as runners-up, and the AFF Cup 2018 victory. However, he struggled with injuries in 2019 and has missed several tournaments since.

The couple started dating in 2014 when Trong was still at the Hanoi FC youth academy. They welcomed their first son in Jan. and tied the knot in Sep. this year.

Footballer Giap Tuan Duong, 21, and wife Vu Minh Anh, 23

Currently playing for Hanoi Police Football Club, Duong was called up to the national team ahead of Vietnam’s friendly matches in the FIFA Days tournament last month.

He and Anh are set to hold a wedding ceremony next month after a three-year relationship.