Dang Tieu Binh, known as Nana, born in 2000, is a young athlete on Vietnam’s national wushu team. She started training at age 7 and has dedicated 15 years to this traditional sport.
She once ranked Top 3 at the World Junior Wushu Championships and Top 2 in the Asian Junior Wushu Championships. At SEA Games 31, she proved her skills again by winning two bronze medals for Vietnam in women’s spear and sword events.
“At first, my family enrolled me in wushu to help me get stronger and get sick less. Then my coaches noticed my talent and selected me for the professional team,” she shared.
“At my first SEA Games, I was lucky to compete without any pressure to win, just to do my best. I managed to get some results. It wasn’t outstanding, but it motivated me to work harder.”
Though she humbly credits luck for her medals, few know that right before the competition, Nana faced harsh criticism from her coach for not perfecting a key move.
“My coach said not everyone gets to compete, yet I couldn’t master one move. His words hit me hard and I almost cried. That night, I thought a lot, then got up and practiced for three hours until 2 a.m. Finally, I nailed it.”
Her quiet dedication paid off at SEA Games 31. But just three days after standing on the podium, Nana surprised everyone by appearing as the MC on the OnLan stage for the Valorant VCT Challengers Vietnam Stage 2 finals. This sudden shift to a completely new field caught the esports community’s attention, as it’s an unprecedented move for a 22-year-old traditional athlete.
Fans say making such a bold decision shows how strong and brave she really is.
“Strong, confident, and tough are the words I think best describe me.
I grew up with my mom, who raised me alone. Even without my dad, I never felt deprived. I realized early on that my parents weren’t happy together, so their separation was necessary. Some people advised me to get them back together, but I didn’t want that. I want them to be happy,” Nana opened up.
“My independent spirit comes from my mom, and years of sports training made me strong today.”
Despite her strength, switching to a completely different field after 15 years wasn’t easy. The biggest challenge was managing her time.
“Compared to others, I don’t have much free time. As a kid, I trained morning and afternoon, studied at night. Summers were all about wushu competitions. Now I train sports in the morning and afternoon, then play or work Valorant tournaments at night. Working until 1 or 2 a.m. is normal. But it’s a job I love, so I’m happy.”
A softer side of Nana.
From this, it’s clear her love for gaming, especially Valorant, has been growing for a long time. Nana said she enjoyed gaming since childhood but didn’t have the chance to pursue it seriously until recently. She started with League of Legends, then switched to Valorant. Her desire to contribute to esports grew, and after lurking on gaming forums, she boldly reached out to admins offering to help for free.
“At the end of 2021, I noticed esports tournaments lacked staff, so I volunteered as a referee. I spent five days translating the rules from English and memorizing them to prepare. I worked small tournaments, then bigger ones, gradually becoming an official referee and eventually head referee for Valorant tournaments,” Nana said, the only woman to hold that role.
Nana’s esports journey didn’t stop there. Her chance to be a Valorant tournament MC came unexpectedly:
“Right after SEA Games 31 ended, I got to try MCing post-match interviews at the VCT Challengers Vietnam Stage 2 finals.
It was my first time hosting live on camera. Despite preparing well, I got nervous and stumbled over my words. I received some harsh comments online, but I didn’t let it pressure me. I took constructive feedback and ignored negativity. Many colleagues and fans supported and encouraged me to do better next time.”
Interestingly, Nana’s mom, who once worried gaming would distract her from wushu, now understands esports better and fully supports her daughter’s choices. That support means the world to Nana.
Looking back at her first MC gig, Nana rates herself 6 out of 10. She’s proud she dared to try, welcomed feedback, and faced criticism head-on, even when she misread a team’s name and had to recover on the spot. She admits she’s still inexperienced and hasn’t fully found her own style.
Still, this tournament was special. It helped her gain recognition beyond being just a referee. Now, fans know Nana as a Valorant MC too.
Full of energy, dreams, and determination, Nana surprised her supporters again by revealing her goal for the last six months of the year:
“I love competing and want to be a pro player. Since there aren’t many big wushu or Valorant tournaments coming up, I’ll focus on training to join a male Valorant team next year. I might play Duelist or Sentinel, which are my strengths.
If I decide to do it, I want to compete equally with the guys. I admire their shooting style and reflexes and want to learn from them, proving that female players are just as good. Especially, I want to stand out.”
Nana believes that with her determination and her mother’s full support, she will continue to have exciting experiences and achieve success on her esports journey.
