Vietnam's top swimmer Nguyễn Huy Hoàng and volleyball setter Đoàn Thị Lâm Oanh of Binh chủng Thông tin have gone public with their relationship after keeping it quiet for a long time. According to Thanh Niên, the couple posted photos of each other on social media after Lâm Oanh's club won the 2026 national women's volleyball championship in Vĩnh Long, and Huy Hoàng said they have decided to hold their wedding party in January 2027.
From the stands in Vĩnh Long
Huy Hoàng was at the Vĩnh Long sports arena on the evening of 25 October to watch the final, in which Binh chủng Thông tin beat Hà Nội Tasco Auto to take the title. SGGP reported that he had been training in Cần Thơ for the National Sports Games but still turned up in the stands. Thanh Niên said it was the club's 13th national title and its first since 2021. VnExpress said Lâm Oanh was also named the tournament's best setter.
After the match the two posed for photos and, for the first time, shared pictures of each other online. Huy Hoàng wrote "Chúc mừng cục vàng", a Vietnamese term of endearment, with a heart on his Facebook page, VnExpress reported, while Lâm Oanh posted a championship emoji and a heart. Huy Hoàng told Thanh Niên that they had known each other for a long time but kept it private so it would not affect their work or lives, and so they could focus on their careers.
Two years of rumours
VnExpress said the pair had been rumoured to be dating for two years. Lâm Oanh was often spotted at SEA Games venues when Huy Hoàng was racing, and over the 2026 New Year holiday she posted a photo of herself holding hands with her boyfriend on a trip to Côn Đảo, without showing his face. Pictures of the two families visiting each other had also circulated, but both athletes declined to confirm anything.
SGGP added that at the 33rd SEA Games in Thailand in 2025, Lâm Oanh was in the stands at the pool to cheer him on. Huy Hoàng won two golds there, in the 1,500m freestyle and the men's 4x200m freestyle relay.
The two athletes
Compiled from VnExpress and Thanh Niên:
| Item | Nguyễn Huy Hoàng | Đoàn Thị Lâm Oanh |
|---|---|---|
| Born | 2000 | 1998 |
| From | Tuyên Hóa, Quảng Bình (now part of Quảng Trị) | Ba Đồn, Quảng Bình (now part of Quảng Trị) |
| Sport | Swimming: 400m, 800m and 1,500m freestyle | Volleyball: setter |
| Highlights | 14 SEA Games golds; 4 Asian Games medals (1 silver, 3 bronze), including 1,500m freestyle silver in 2018; 1 Youth Olympic gold; 2 Asian championship golds | With Vietnam: AVC Challenge Cup winner in 2023 and 2024, AVC Nations Cup 2025, FIVB Challenger Cup 2024; best setter at the 2023 AVC Challenge Cup |
Known as the Gianh River Otter, Huy Hoàng is one of the most successful athletes in Vietnamese sport, although he left the recent Asian Games in Japan without a medal. Lâm Oanh joined the Signal Command women's team in 2014, went on to captain it, has been a regular for the national team since 2019 and played in Thailand for Supreme Chonburi E.Tech from late 2023. She did not go to the Asian Games with Vietnam's women's team.
What comes next: the National Games, then the wedding
SGGP said both will compete for their units at the 10th National Sports Games in Ho Chi Minh City before the wedding. Swimming runs from 21 to 26 November and indoor volleyball from 27 November to 11 December. Binh chủng Thông tin head coach Phạm Văn Long said Lâm Oanh had told the coaching staff she plans to marry once the 2026 season is over. Huy Hoàng told Thanh Niên the wedding party is set for January 2027.