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W
ith a long background in
sport
training
Connor
Nguyen, a Vietnamese-
American, returned to Vi-
etnam in 2008. Just one year later he
established the Saigon Sports Academy,
a sport training centre that trains both
children and adults but focuses on chil-
dren 4-18 years old.
The academy first focused on ten-
nis alone, but it soon extended its pro-
gramme to include other sports, such
as soccer, basketball, and swimming.
However, since Saigon Heat was found-
ed in October last year, the basketball
has really acculturated in popularity.
The team is hugely popular, not
only because it is the first basketball
team in Vietnam, but because of the
whole spectacle of the live games. Ac-
cording to Connor, Saigon Heat match-
es are always sold out, and their crowd
is usually double that of other teams in
the Southeast Asian region.
“We compete in the Asian Basket-
ball League, which has a total of six
41
timeout
Bui Ha
talks to
Connor Nguyen
,
founder of the Saigon
Heat basketball team
and a driving force
behind Vietnam’s
drive for sporting
achievement.
HOBBY
THE HEAT IS ON