Born in 1990 and raised in Ia Grai commune, Gia Lai province, Hung’s football journey began at the age of 12 when he joined the Gia Lai Youth Team alongside future national players such as Le Hoang Thien and Nguyen Tuan Manh.
When HAGL took over the province’s football operations, Hung was among the top local prospects transferred to the club. Known for his skill, tactical intelligence, and strong physique, he quickly became a regular starter for youth teams and was selected for Vietnam’s U22 squad at the 2007 Southeast Asian Championship in Brunei.
However, Hung’s promising career derailed due to personal missteps. During his youth, buoyed by a high salary, estimated at several million VND (about a few hundred USD) per month, he became distracted by off-field temptations and violated team discipline.
In 2009, HAGL terminated his contract despite recognizing his potential. Later stints with Quan Khu 5 and SHB Da Nang offered chances of revival, but continued immaturity cost him those opportunities.
Returning to Gia Lai, Hung took a series of jobs, from factory worker at Company 75 (15th Corps) to security guard, accountant, and mobile SIM card salesman, yet none fulfilled him.
“Watching my peers succeed with HAGL or the national team, I regretted my choices deeply”, Hung said. “If only I had stayed disciplined and focused, things might have been different”.
In 2016, Hung found a new calling. Channeling his unbroken passion for football, he founded the Hung Nguyen Community Football Center in Ia Grai district. Starting with only a few children, the center has grown to around 100 students across several communes, including border areas.
Hung now dedicates his life to teaching children football, ethics, and life skills, values he once overlooked. He regularly organizes friendly matches, excursions, and exchange activities for his students. “Because I made mistakes, I want my students to avoid them. I keep improving myself to guide them better, both in sport and in life,” he shared.
His efforts have borne fruit. Around 20 players from his center have been recruited by youth academies such as HAGL, SHB Da Nang, and Juventus Vietnam. In 2025, his team from Ia Krai commune finished runner-up in the Gia Lai Provincial Youth and Children’s Football Tournament, with player Dinh Dai Phu named the event’s best player.
Since 2022, Hung has also served as a youth coach at HAGL Academy, leading the U13 and U15 teams. His squad won bronze at the 2023 National U13 Championship in Khanh Hoa province, marking a full-circle return to the club that once released him.
According to Le Thi Phuong Loan, Director of the Ia Grai Commune Center for Culture, Information and Sports, “The Hung Nguyen Community Football Center has become a positive, healthy playground for local children. Many of its players have been discovered and selected by professional academies, proof of Hung’s dedication and talent”.
Through his quiet resilience and renewed purpose, Nguyen Thanh Hung has turned the lessons of loss into a foundation for hope, ensuring that Gia Lai’s next generation of footballers can chase the dreams he once left unfinished.
