One of Vietnam’s first female rugby Coaches, Bùi Thanh Huyền broke new ground for girls and women in sport. She continues to carry the values of Pass It Back in everything she does today.

Then: Breaking new ground in Hoa Binh, Vietnam

When Pass It Back first launched in Hoa Binh, a mountainous province in Northern Vietnam, in 2015, organised sport was not a common part of life, especially for girls. But Pass It Back introduced something new: rugby as a tool to teach life skills, build confidence, and promote gender equity.

Bùi Thanh Huyền was one of the first to step forward as a Pass It Back Coach in Vietnam. As a young woman taking on a public leadership role through sport, she was entering into uncharted territory. Rugby wasn’t familiar, and female Coaches even less so, but she was determined to blaze a trail.

“Pass It Back helped me learn something important: girls and women can achieve anything when given the opportunity. We can lead, we can coach, we can play rugby just as well as men (or even better!). I want to show my community what that looks like. I want people to move past outdated ideas about what girls and women can or can’t do.”

Huyen at her first Coach Training in 2015, which was also the very first for Pass It Back.

Supporting the next generation of female leaders

Two years after becoming a Coach, Huyen was appointed to be a Coach Group Leader who managed and provided support to other Coaches in her communes. In 2018, she started her role as a Life Skills Trainer and a Measuring Change Coordinator. Huyen also later travelled to Laos and Cambodia to support Coach Trainings in those countries. In 2020, Huyen successfully applied to become an Area Manager, overseeing the implementation of all rugby and life skills projects in Kim Boi District. In October 2021, Huyen was announced to be one of two winners of the ‘Women of the Future Awards South East Asia in Sport’ category.

Huyền didn’t stop at her own success. As one of a senior leadership group, she helped train and mentor new Coaches – many of them young women.

I supported Coaches with how to deliver life skills sessions. That included how to talk about topics like leadership, understanding gender, setting and achieving goals, and reproductive health with young people.

She became someone younger women could look up to – not just as a Coach, but as a woman confidently leading, speaking, and educating in public. In a context where women were often not expected to take leadership roles, this was meaningful.

“What I’m most proud of is that I’ve been able to support children, especially girls, in my commune and district, to have opportunities to play, grow more confident, and develop the skills they need beyond the field. One of my players went from being very shy to becoming confident enough to pursue their dream of studying in Japan, something she had never dreamt of before. She achieved that dream – going to Japan to study and work!”

Now: carrying the values forward

With the conclusion of Pass It Back in Vietnam in 2023, Huyền transitioned to working full-time in farming and agriculture. Today, she produces and sells farm products in her community. It’s a different role, but she brings the same values.

“Even in the farming business, integrity matters. No one is watching, but I still follow what I believe is right. That’s what I learned through Pass It Back.”

Though Huyền no longer delivers rugby and life skills sessions, she continues to be seen as a leader in her community. People still greet her as ‘Coach’ when they see her. Families often approach her to ask when a similar program might return, because they’ve seen firsthand how much their children grew through Pass It Back.

“Pass It Back helped shape me into who I am today – more confident, more adaptable, and better prepared to face change. It taught me the value of integrity, which I carry with me in everything I do. I’m grateful to have been part of the Pass It Back journey in Vietnam.”