At the 34th national traditional martial arts championship in August 2025, Huệ captured a gold medal in the Hùng kê quyền event for the 41-50 age group, marking a triumphant return to competition 20 years after her last national victory.
The achievement came just weeks after her Kim Huệ Dojo in Tuy Phước commune won the forms championship cup at the 2025 Gia Lai Traditional Martial Arts Dojo Championship for the Hoàng đế Quang Trung Cup, taking home 10 gold, 7 silver, and 3 bronze medals.
The dojo also claimed the same title in 2022 and finished as runner-up twice in the past four years, reaffirming its reputation as a leading martial arts school in the province.
According to Senior Master Nguyễn Văn Cảnh, head coach of the provincial traditional martial arts center, Kim Huệ’s dojo has become “one of the province’s key centers for developing young athletes.”
At the 2025 National Youth Traditional Martial Arts Championship, five students trained under Huệ represented the province and won two silver and three bronze medals.
Despite chronic back pain from a herniated disc, Master Huệ entered the 2025 national event determined to perform. “I kept my participation a secret from my husband, fearing he’d scold me,” she said, smiling. “After the competition, my whole body ached, and I needed more than ten days to recover.”
Born in 1977 in Quảng Vân hamlet, Phước Thuận commune, Tuy Phước district, Huệ began learning martial arts at Long Phước Pagoda, a well-known training center in Bình Định. At 21, she joined the provincial martial arts and wushu teams, becoming the only female athlete on the traditional martial arts squad.
Her perseverance earned her multiple national medals in both forms and sparring over eight years. Unlike many female athletes who retire to focus on family life, Huệ founded her own martial arts school nearly 20 years ago, shortly after giving birth to her first child.
“Women in martial arts teaching face far more challenges than men,” she recalled. “I continued teaching even during my fifth and sixth months of pregnancy, and just three months after giving birth, I was back coaching for the provincial championship, often with my baby beside me.”
Today, Huệ remains devoted to her students. “If I stop teaching, they’ll stop training,” she said. Student Phạm Dương Nhật Thái, a ninth grader, described her as “sometimes gentle, sometimes strict, always dedicated,” crediting her mentorship for his two silver and two bronze medals at recent provincial tournaments.
Through perseverance and passion, Master Kim Huệ has become one of the few remaining senior female instructors still actively teaching in Gia Lai, a province known as the land of martial arts women. Her story, spanning sacrifice, resilience, and triumph, embodies the enduring spirit of Vietnam’s traditional martial arts heritage.