Some of the countless Vietnameseathletes who have sweated it out in national and international sportingevents, started their childhood training at the Children’s CulturePalace – dubbed the Palace of Dreams in Hanoi.
This year, the academy will celebrate its 55 th anniversary on the occasion of the 1,000 th anniversary of the capital.
Established in 1955, the centre has a history of training thousands ofchildren in both sports and education such as table tennis, martialarts, dance, art, music and foreign languages with the participation of3,500 trainees annually.
The secret to the centre’s success is in part, due to the scouting workof coaches who scour the country in search of child prodigies who canbe moulded into winners.
“We have over half a century’s worth of experience in educating kids insporting and cultural activities. The palace, which is situated on a1ha plot near Sword Lake, is well-known to most children in Hanoi,”said the centre’s vice director, Tran Duc Hoa.
“Many parents enrol their kids during the summer time when schools areclosed for the two-month vacation. The teachers and coaches look afterthe children when their parents are at work,” Hoa says.
He added that the centre will be upgraded by the capital’s People’sCommittee with an investment of 30 billion VND (1.5 million USD).
Nguyen Huy Vinh, 50, said he has witnessed his son’s progress over the past six years.
“I sent him to the palace when he was eight. I wanted him to grow incharacter and learn patience by playing table tennis. I am satisfiedthat he has done both,” the 50-year-old technician said.
“The centre is only able to provide them with a basic level of training,” explained table tennis coach, Do Thuy Duong.
“We also give advice to the kid’s parents when we discover exceptionaltalent. Parents can choose a long-term programme for potential futurestars,” Duong said, adding that table tennis and martial arts are themost popular sports during summer time.
Table tennis draws around 300 children annually, which is the mostcrowded section along with taekwondo, karate, chess and aerobics.
“The centre has been seeking partnerships with other countries. Lastyear, we inked a memorandum of understanding with a Republic of Koreacounterpart in taekwondo training, in which kids will make exchangetrips to train in Vietnam and RoK every summer,” said centre head ofsports Tran Minh Tuan. Among the centre’s successes are table tennisplayers, Ngo Thu Thuy and Chu Thi Hong Hanh, and karate kid Dinh ThiThu Thuy.
The centre’s staff are doing their best to add more sports and events to the curriculum including swimming and football./.
This year, the academy will celebrate its 55 th anniversary on the occasion of the 1,000 th anniversary of the capital.
Established in 1955, the centre has a history of training thousands ofchildren in both sports and education such as table tennis, martialarts, dance, art, music and foreign languages with the participation of3,500 trainees annually.
The secret to the centre’s success is in part, due to the scouting workof coaches who scour the country in search of child prodigies who canbe moulded into winners.
“We have over half a century’s worth of experience in educating kids insporting and cultural activities. The palace, which is situated on a1ha plot near Sword Lake, is well-known to most children in Hanoi,”said the centre’s vice director, Tran Duc Hoa.
“Many parents enrol their kids during the summer time when schools areclosed for the two-month vacation. The teachers and coaches look afterthe children when their parents are at work,” Hoa says.
He added that the centre will be upgraded by the capital’s People’sCommittee with an investment of 30 billion VND (1.5 million USD).
Nguyen Huy Vinh, 50, said he has witnessed his son’s progress over the past six years.
“I sent him to the palace when he was eight. I wanted him to grow incharacter and learn patience by playing table tennis. I am satisfiedthat he has done both,” the 50-year-old technician said.
“The centre is only able to provide them with a basic level of training,” explained table tennis coach, Do Thuy Duong.
“We also give advice to the kid’s parents when we discover exceptionaltalent. Parents can choose a long-term programme for potential futurestars,” Duong said, adding that table tennis and martial arts are themost popular sports during summer time.
Table tennis draws around 300 children annually, which is the mostcrowded section along with taekwondo, karate, chess and aerobics.
“The centre has been seeking partnerships with other countries. Lastyear, we inked a memorandum of understanding with a Republic of Koreacounterpart in taekwondo training, in which kids will make exchangetrips to train in Vietnam and RoK every summer,” said centre head ofsports Tran Minh Tuan. Among the centre’s successes are table tennisplayers, Ngo Thu Thuy and Chu Thi Hong Hanh, and karate kid Dinh ThiThu Thuy.
The centre’s staff are doing their best to add more sports and events to the curriculum including swimming and football./.
