Unlike many other young people, Nguyen Anh Tho (born in 2002, Bac Ninh) has a special spring festival trip at the beginning of the new year. This girl has become a sensation on social networks when she appeared at festivals throughout Bac Ninh province and neighboring localities to... wrestle, most of which are against male wrestlers.

"I've only wrestled at the village festival since last year. At first, I felt very nervous because so many people came to watch. This year, since Tet, I've participated in more than 10 festivals. I'm in pretty good health so I can go continuously. After each wrestling match, it probably only takes 2-3 hours to recover, " Anh Tho shared.

The female wrestler born in 2002 caused a stir when competing with SEA Games champion Dao Hong Son.

Instead of wearing fancy dresses, the 21-year-old girl came to the village festival wearing specialized clothes to… rush into the wrestling ring. She was originally an athlete trained in wrestling, then switched to volleyball. Currently, Anh Tho is no longer pursuing professional sports.

The name Anh Tho is more famous in village festivals than in official sports tournaments. The video of the female wrestler competing with SEA Games champion Dao Hong Son caused a “storm” on social media during the Lunar New Year At Ty. Since then, every time Anh Tho posts on Facebook, there are thousands of interactions.

“At first, I was a bit scared and shy when women competed with men, but when I entered the arena and competed with the wrestlers, I just focused on my skills and was no longer worried. It was also very interesting to receive so much attention from everyone,” said Anh Tho.

“Sometimes I feel a little worried because when wrestling there is physical contact, and I might accidentally meet someone with bad intentions. Every time I go to the village festival to wrestle, I always invite a friend to go with me so that if anything happens, I can protect myself.”

Most village wrestling clubs now hire crews to film, take photos, and broadcast live on social media. In addition, the male wrestlers paired up for male-female friendly matches are mostly locals with clear backgrounds and famous faces in the wrestling world. This helps Anh Tho and other female wrestlers feel secure and confident in the ring.

Usually, these types of matches are mainly for show. Friendly matches do not have big prizes. However, many villagers who come to watch the wrestling give lucky money to the wrestlers on the spot. Some give 50,000, 100,000, even 500,000 VND up to millions of VND.

Anh Tho recently showed off on Facebook her unexpected income of over 50 million VND from going on spring outings at village festivals. She not only wrestles but also plays volleyball. Most festivals in Bac Ninh and neighboring localities have at least one of these two sports.

“The money earned from the festival is even bigger than the salary from the training. Everyone rewards me and the wrestlers a lot after each match ,” Anh Tho shared.

The “rain of bonuses” are of course an attractive gift for both professional and amateur wrestlers. For Anh Tho, the joy in the wrestling ring also has spiritual meaning.

“I also want to try many sports because I have loved running and jumping since I was little, but wrestling is still my passion. Traditional wrestling and ethnic wrestling are also special features of Vietnamese traditional culture. Therefore, even though I no longer compete, I still join other wrestlers at village festivals to help preserve traditions,” Anh Tho shared.