Harbin, China, August 15, 2025: Vietnamese Pham Van Minh used to have a Ukrainian coach to teach him how to figure skate, but when his coach left Hanoi and returned home because of the war with Russia, Pham was left with no direction.
But the 16-year-old Pham was determined to continue his passion for skating, and turned to YouTube to learn about the finer points of the sport. One of 47 children from 20 countries at the Asian Figure Skating Youth Camp in Harbin, the self-taught Pham is now all smiles as he gets hands-on instruction from international coaches.
“I went on YouTube because I wanted to continue figure skating,” related Pham after a training stint on ice at the Harbin Ice Hockey Arena.
His love affair with skating began eight years ago. “Hanoi only has one ice rink and it was situated right next to my school. I used to walk past it every day, and watching people skate, I too wanted to do it.”
Last year, he also began taking lessons on Zoom with a Japanese coach, and in the summer went to Tokyo for one month to train under him.
“I do about three hours of skating online lessons every week with a Japanese instructor. And I also go and train at the ice rink near my school, but the problem is that as it is a public rink, there is always a crowd,” Pham says.
His hero is Japan’s two-time Olympics figure skater Hanyu Yuzuru. “I have watched him countless times on YouTube. I love his jumps and skating skills and hope that I can one day be like him,” Pham reveals.
That is if Harvard University does not grab the precocious teenager. Apart from studying economics, maths and history at school, Pham also takes an online course from Harvard on ‘globalisation and nation states’.
“My aim is to go to Harvard and study global politics. I have always been interested in national pride and how different nations come together on the global stage,” he explains.
So being part of this nine-day camp, mixing with other children from various parts of Asia, is just up his street. “I’m enjoying it very much moving around with other cultures and making friends, and of course having coaches on hand,” laughs ice prodigy Pham.
