National No 1 billiards and snooker ace Duong Anh Vu, 29, bagged golds at the 2007 Asian Indoor Games in Macau and the Southeast Asian Games in Thailand. The World No 14 shares his highs and lows with Cong Thanh.

Can you summarise your career?

I was born into a sporting family in HCM City in 1980.

I fell in love with billiards and snooker at a young age when my father, an athlete, took me to a sport centre where he was training. It was easy for him to look after me and it also kept me away from the naughty boys in our neighbourhood.

How did you first get into the sport?

I watched my father play and mimicked his skills as I grew up. I saved the money my parents gave me for breakfast to play my friends during my leisure time.

What happened during your teenage years?

Gradually, I was recruited to the city’s team and started training for the national team.

I studied hard in maths, physics and chemistry, so my parents suggested I enter the faculty of maths and informatics at the HCM City-based Natural Science College. I began the first-year in 1999, but billiards and snooker lured me away.

My teachers supported me at the college and also while I was training with the national team. As I was happiest playing billiards and snooker, I decided to follow a career in sport and left the college during my second year.

Do you regret leaving college?

Just a little. Most of my college friends have succeeded in their jobs. But I do not feel that bad because I decided to follow my heart into sport.

What have been the highlights of your career so far?

I had high hopes of winning the gold which eluded my father at the Busan Asian Games when he lost to underdog Tran Dinh Hoa in the all-Vietnamese final.

I pocketed the silver at the Southeast Asian Games in 2003 in Viet Nam. It was my first medal, which I hoped would make my family proud.

The Qatar Asian Games in 2006 also rank as a proud moment for me. I took silver after losing the carom 3 final to Japan’s Umera Ryuiji. It was the biggest game of my career and I lacked experience at that level.

A month before the Asian Games, I had asthma but didn’t dare take medication because of the strict drug testing rules. I used a traditional cure to avoid returning a positive but it took me a long time to recover.

When did you fulfil your dream of a gold?

At the Asian Indoor Games in Macau in 2007, I dominated an all-Vietnamese one-cushion carom final and beat Nguyen Sy Tuong 150-94.

It was a gift for my father when he was 51. My father retired after the Busan Games, so he didn’t get a chance to win an Asian gold medal.

Two months later, I crushed Tuong in the carom 1 final at Thailand’s SEA Games.

What are your immediate goals?

I want to keep hold of the national title for a third consecutive year, but I am also looking towards a bigger target at the Asian Indoor Games in Viet Nam in October and the Southeast Asia Games in Laos two months later. I want to defend the titles I won in Macau and Thailand.

My younger sister, Duong Thuy Vy, is a national team member and is training hard with the women’s 9-ball.

I also want to keep winning to reach the top 10 in the world rankings. I believe in myself, as I promised my father six years ago.

What’s been your biggest disappointment?

I failed to win a gold medal in the Asian Games in Qatar. It was very disappointing because I had hoped to take home the gold that had alluded my father in the previous Busan Asian Games in South Korea.

How do you cope when things aren’t going so well?

I always spend time chatting with my father when I lose a game. He often gives me good advice to help me feel better. My father treats me like a brother and a friend, so I can share everything with him.

I love sport so much, I cannot live without it. My family also run a billiards and snooker club and I have more time to play. My friends can always find me there.

I like drinking coffee every morning, like other Saigonese people. That’s how I ease the pressure before competing in big games.

What are your hopes for the future?

I want to become a coach after I retire. I want my children to aspire to a life in sports. I would also love to compete at the World Championship. So far I’ve never managed to qualify for it.

This year is going to be a tough one for me. I want to win the gold medal at the Asian Indoor Games in October and the Southeast Asian Games in Laos in December.

I and my young sister are determined to make our dreams come true. We’ll stand on the victory podium and make our family proud of us.

VietNamNet/VNS