Her return to Vietnam came barely two weeks after she won bronze at the World Championship in Bremen on 28 June. Italy’s Rosa Granato claimed the title and Nguyen Trong Nha Uyen finished second, producing the first women’s Solo Latin world podium to feature two Vietnamese athletes. “Winning the bronze medal at the World Championship was a very special moment in my career, but coming home and competing in front of my own crowd feels completely different. Hearing everyone cheering for me gives me so much energy and motivation,” Nguyen explained.

Denied entry before her return to Bremen

Her performance in Germany carried a significance that was not reflected by the standings alone. A year earlier, entry problems had prevented her from taking part in a competition for which she had spent months preparing. Nguyen reached the border but was denied entry to Germany and never made it onto the dance floor. “It was one of the biggest blows of my career. I had prepared for such a long time, but in the end I could not even compete because I was not allowed to enter Germany. I was devastated and felt as though all my work had been stopped just before the finish line,” she recalled.

Returning to Bremen in 2026 required Nguyen to confront those memories. Her feelings changed once the competition began: “The moment I stepped onto the floor in Bremen, all those emotions disappeared. I only thought: ‘I have finally made it here through my own perseverance.’ It was no longer about proving anything to other people, but about proving to myself that I had never given up.” After winning bronze, she travelled back to Vietnam with little time to recover before the WDSF Open and the Asian Championship. “The pressure is always there, but I choose to turn it into motivation to become a better version of myself,” she said.

Late-night training and limited resources

Born in 2006 in Quang Binh and raised in a family with limited financial resources, Nguyen began dancesport as a child. When she was in eighth grade, coach Khánh Thi took charge of her preparation and helped with accommodation, education and the training she needed to pursue a high-performance career. The athlete spent much of her adolescence inside the studio: “Sometimes I trained until very late and was so tired that I simply slept there before continuing the following morning. At the time, I never imagined that I would one day compete on the world stage or win international medals.”

The physical demands were accompanied by the cost of competing outside Vietnam. Nguyen has had to calculate the expenses of every trip, from training, costumes and entry fees to transport and accommodation. Her career is divided between the People’s Public Security dancesport team and the Vietnamese national team: “Representing both teams is an enormous honour and a major responsibility. Every time I wear Vietnam’s colours, I remind myself that I must give even more than I think I can.” Her international progress became more visible in 2024, when she won three youth gold medals in cha-cha-cha, rumba and samba at the Bailando Open, as well as the youth Solo Latin event in Johor Bahru, where she also finished second in the adult category.

From a first Asian title to the world podium

Nguyen won her first senior Asian Solo Latin Championship in 2025 and carried that progress onto the world stage in 2026. Her bronze medal in Bremen was followed by victories at the WDSF Open and the continental championship in Ho Chi Minh City, where she defended her title against a field representing Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia, Hong Kong, China, Kyrgyzstan and Mongolia. WDSF president Shawn Tay connected her journey with the international growth of the discipline: “Solo Latin has become a global phenomenon. Stories like Ngoc’s are essential to inspire athletes to push the boundaries of what is possible on the dance floor.”

The Vietnamese athlete places her personal development above the accumulation of results. “The biggest change is not the medals I have won, but the person I have become. I have learned that failure is never the end and that every setback can become motivation if you are willing to get back up,” she said. After retaining the Asian title, her next objectives are to remain at the highest level of competition and improve on her world bronze: “I want to keep competing at the highest level, fight for even greater achievements and help Vietnamese dancesport reach a higher position on the international stage.”

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The meeting brought together continental delegates, federation officials and guests to review the progress of European DanceSport, approve statutory matters and set priorities for the coming years. DSE president Robert Wota said the Assembly combined the usual administrative obligations with an active climate of participation among federations. “The energy was exceptionally high, and the meeting was both concise and focused,” he said.

DanceSport Connect, the bet until 2032

The main project presented in Rome was DanceSport Connect: United Through Movement, a platform designed to run until 2032 and connect competition, community, education, institutions, governments, sponsors and local organisers. The programme was presented by Kris Spaho, DSE commissioner and project leader, and stands as Europe’s major bet to create a more structured environment around young athletes.

Wota explained that the goal is to build a more stable foundation for the future of the sport in Europe. “The purpose and scope of DSC is to create a better environment and a structure for the future of DanceSport in Europe,” he said. The platform aims to organise the different elements of the ecosystem, from competitions to educational programmes, institutional partners, public administrations, official sponsors and local organisers.

DanceSport enters the classroom

One of the most concrete new features of DanceSport Connect will be its connection with the education system. The DSC Cup will begin with events in Albania and North Macedonia, and will allow participants to register the details of their academic institutions. From there, DSE will be able to issue official recognition certificates addressed to schools or universities, with the aim of raising the institutional prestige of DanceSport and attracting new participants to national federations.

The project also includes the DSC DanceSport College, a free training structure for young athletes. “All group lessons will be free of charge for all participants in the competitions,” Wota explained. The proposal aligns with the message delivered by WDSF president Shawn Tay, who urged continental bodies to dedicate core resources to raising the competitive level of new generations. For DSE, that priority does not represent a change of direction, but the confirmation of a path already focused on the Juvenile and Junior categories.

Youth circuits and new formats

The Assembly also reviewed the evolution of the DSE European Grand Prix, a ranking circuit for Juvenile and Junior categories that is approaching its tenth anniversary. The data presented showed a stable trajectory between 2025 and 2026, with almost 700 couples from 33 countries. The circuit remains open to all WDSF-registered athletes in order to support local organisers, although official ranking points and prize vouchers remain reserved for athletes from DSE member countries.

Another highlighted project was the DanceSport Europe Team Challenge Cup, a national team format featuring Standard, Latin and a team show performance. DSE directly subsidises organisers to provide free accommodation for national team members, a measure designed to increase participation and facilitate the presence of more countries. “The primary objective of this initiative is to facilitate the inclusion of more exceptional couples and diverse countries in the event,” Wota said, while also pointing to the possibility of adding another discipline next year.

Financial stability and support for Ukraine

The financial review presented by the treasurer and financial controllers confirmed a stable, transparent and sustainable position for DanceSport Europe. Continental reserves allow structural investment in grassroots development, youth circuits and direct athlete support systems. At the same time, the Assembly unanimously approved freezing all annual membership fees for 2027, with the aim of protecting national federations from inflationary pressures.

The meeting also reaffirmed support for the All-Ukrainian DanceSport Federation. The Assembly voted unanimously to maintain the exemption from its annual membership fee for 2026, while preserving all its rights, including the vote during the legislative weekend. Wota recalled that the European community has supported the Ukrainian federation for three years since the start of the war. “Our community unanimously approved this request, and we have been providing support for three years,” he said.

The DSE Assembly also served as the starting point for the WDSF institutional weekend in Rome. Tay linked the European roadmap with the WDSF’s global objectives. “The innovative roadmap presented by DSE in Rome mirrors our global objectives. By targeting the grassroots and bridging the gap with academic institutions, Europe is building a sustainable ecosystem that ensures our sport grows responsibly from its very foundations,” he said. The final message from Rome left a shared idea: the future of European DanceSport depends on connecting federations, young athletes, education and local structures within the same growth project.

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