Ben Nguyen: Fighting For Vietnamese Identity In Sport

As athletes from Southeast Asia achieve greater sporting feats, and countries like Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand clinch more medals in international competitions than ever before, it begs the question—can Vietnam rise to the same level?

Right now, there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic. The launch of the inaugural Ho Chi Minh City International Marathon, which saw the participation of 44 countries and more than 5,000 athletes, suggests the country is tuning in more seriously to international-standard sporting events. Not to mention, Manchester United icons Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes are currently in Vietnam to train a crop of international competition-ready local footballers.

But, who are the athletes that will lead Vietnam to global recognition? We met with one Vietnamese-American sportsman who’s out to do just that—Ben Nguyen. Ranked 8th in the world in the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s flyweight division, Ben Nguyen is a mixed martial artist making inroads into the division. Currently based in Brisbane, Australia, we met with Ben on his recent visit to Ho Chi Minh City. We wanted to understand what it was like growing up as one of the few Asians in America’s Midwest, the challenges of competing at the highest level in one of the toughest sports imaginable, and how he feels visiting Vietnam.

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