Bich Thuy poses with Tran Duyen before the gala at Ben Thanh Theater. Their coordinated outfits created the impression of a male-female couple.

Nguyen Thi Bich Thuy received the Women's Golden Ball with 360 points, surpassing Tran Thi Thuy Trang (160 points) and Pham Hai Yen (198 points). In 2025, the Thai Nguyen T&T midfielder played a significant role in helping Vietnam secure a SEA Games silver medal, an ASEAN Cup bronze medal, and shared the top scorer title in the National Cup.

Bich Thuy and Tran Thi Duyen, dressed in coordinated outfits, posed for photos before the gala at Ben Thanh Theater. Bich Thuy shared her victory joy with Duyen immediately after the awards ceremony, a moment reflecting their close relationship.

This award can be seen as compensation for the 31-year-old midfielder for an unfairly disallowed goal incident in the SEA Games 33 final against the Philippines. In that match at Chonburi Stadium on the evening of 17/12, Bich Thuy scored a goal in a perfectly legitimate position, but it was incorrectly ruled offside by the assistant referees. This contributed to Vietnam's inability to defeat the Philippines, ultimately losing 5-6 in the penalty shootout, ending their streak of four consecutive gold medals. After that frustrating loss, Bich Thuy cried a lot, requiring Tran Thi Duyen to comfort and console her.

Born in 1994 in Quang Ngai, Bich Thuy moved to TP HCM at age 13 to pursue a football career. She is now one of Vietnam's most experienced players, a member of the national team that won SEA Games gold medals in 2017, 2019, 2021, 2023, and the AFF Cup in 2019. Standing at just 1,53 m tall, Bich Thuy consistently plays energetically on the right flank, frequently entering the penalty area to score. She also scored the decisive goal in Vietnam's 2-1 victory over Taiwan in 2022, which qualified Vietnam for the World Cup for the first time.

Duyen was born in 2000 in An Ninh, Ha Nam (formerly, now Ninh Binh). She began her football career in 2012, playing as a right-back. Duyen was called up to the national team in 2018 but missed many tournaments due to injury. In 2025, she maintained consistent fitness, frequently receiving opportunities to start in the ASEAN Cup and then the SEA Games.

Bich Thuy's mother, Ms. Tran Thi Thuyen (wearing a black jacket), also flew from Quang Ngai to TP HCM yesterday to witness her daughter's significant day. Bich Thuy's father passed away due to a serious illness at the time she was with her teammates in China, preparing for the final Olympic Rio 2016 qualifiers. At yesterday's awards ceremony, the Vietnamese national team midfielder once again mentioned her father, as she often does when scoring goals or winning titles, hoping he could witness his daughter's achievements from above. During his lifetime, her father always supported and encouraged Bich Thuy to follow her passion.

Bich Thuy took a commemorative photo with Men's Golden Ball winner Nguyen Hoang Duc and Futsal Golden Ball winner Chau Doan Phat.

The Vietnam Golden Ball award is professionally sponsored by the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) and has been presented annually since 1995. The award is inspired by France Football magazine's Ballon d'Or, also voted on by journalists and experts.

This year marks Hoang Duc's third victory, following wins in 2021 and 2023. He is now just one title shy of the record held by veteran Pham Thanh Luong. In 2025, the national team did not have many tournaments, so Hoang Duc's role was somewhat overshadowed compared to younger colleagues like Nguyen Dinh Bac and Tran Trung Kien at the national team level. However, at the club level, he is excelling with 5 goals and 6 assists, helping Ninh Binh lead the V-League 2025-2026.

Dong Huyen