In late 2025, the Hai Duong-born talent stunned the continental badminton scene with outstanding performances at the Bangladesh International Series and the Bangladesh International Challenge, all before celebrating her 15th birthday on January 20, 2026.

At these tournaments, Huyen impressively defeated opponents ranked within the world’s top 500, many of whom were significantly older and more experienced.

Her breakthrough results triggered a stunning leap on the BWF women’s singles rankings. Between mid-December and late December 2025, Huyen climbed 714 places, soaring from world No. 1042 to No. 328 - the largest annual jump recorded in women’s singles during that period.

Since then, Huyen has not competed in additional international tournaments and has slipped slightly to No. 334 in the world. Nevertheless, this minor drop does little to overshadow the immense potential of the Vietnamese talent.

The girl is currently the fourth-highest ranked Vietnamese player in women’s singles. Leading the national standings is Thuy Linh (world No. 22), followed by Vu Thi Trang (No. 138) and Bui Bich Phuong (No. 321).

All three players are considerably older than Thu Huyen, with Bui Bich Phuong—the youngest among them—already 19 years old.

With her current trajectory, Thu Huyen is expected to emerge as a new star of Vietnamese badminton, following in the footsteps of her senior compatriot Nguyen Thuy Linh, if she continues to be given opportunities to compete in international tournaments.

Shuttlers Thuy Linh, Thi Trang earn spots at 2025 BWF World Championship

VOV.VN - Vietnam’s top female shuttlers Nguyen Thuy Linh and Vu Thi Trang have officially secured places at the 2025 BWF World Championships, set to take place in France from August 25 to 31, the Vietnam Badminton Federation announced on July 11.