Mr. Ngo Vi Khuong (born in 1999, Physical therapist - Rehabilitation doctor in Can Tho) currently the head of Can Tho Shooting Club, shared about this unique startup idea.
Originating from experience
Knowing about sports shooting through books and newspapers for a long time, but the most memorable milestone for Ngo Vi Khuong was the first time he had access to reality in Ho Chi Minh City. For Khuong, facing targets dozens of meters away, pulling the trigger and feeling the bullet line, left him with an indescribable impression, stimulating great excitement and passion.
Returning to Can Tho, Mr. Khuong cherished the plan to widely disseminate this subject to young people in the Mekong Delta region. In which Can Tho, a dynamic city and the center of the region, will be the place to start realizing the first steps.
After mastering the gameplay and gradually surveying the market, I realized that at that time, Can Tho was still a "white zone" for sports shooting. Because, when mentioning this concept, some people, even young people, also feel very strange and new. However, with the belief that this place has potential, I decided to do it" - Khuong said.
The 9X doctor added that, in parallel with administrative work, he spent a lot of time building startup ideas, including every small detail to overall model design, including learning about the journey of successful startups in many similar fields. From there, he summarized lessons, started a business when he was young, so he researched carefully and pioneered in his favorite field, especially with a certain passion.
Overcoming pressure
While sharing with us about his startup journey, Mr. Khuong was a little choked up when talking about the difficulties in implementing the model.
Accordingly, from the initial plan to "carry the burden" alone with the mentality "anything can be done", Khuong switched to teamwork (team work) so that each person was in charge of one stage, and at the same time supported each other in times of "stuck" ideas. Thanks to that, the 9X male and other members still could balance professional work to maintain life and business with their big ambitions.
In addition, the biggest difficulty for the group is legal procedures, Mr. Khuong said: "Mostly because this sport is highly specific, subject to the strict regulation of the Law on Management and Use of Weapons, so the regulations on management and business are very strict. Knowing that, I have prepared quite carefully, but the application for a license still takes 2-3 months longer than expected".
As the "leader" of the group, Khuong looked back and saw that that time was extremely stressful. The waiting mind from day to day, plus the payment of rent and arising expenses, all seemed to erode the will of each man.
“The first steps are not easy at all. Fortunately, afterwards, the club received very enthusiastic support from the local government, and functional agencies provided detailed instructions for us to correct infrastructure and complete dossiers to be consistent with legal regulations” - Khuong breathed a sigh of relief.
From effects to nostalgia
After the sports shooting club went into operation, mixed with joy were many thoughts of members. The issue of people and attracting guests to participate in activities greatly affects the survival of the club.
Members started from methodical promotion strategies on social media platforms to reach target customer groups. At the same time, Khuong invited relatives and close friends to experience,
check-in at the shooting range to create an initial spillover effect. Thanks to its novelty and professionalism, the club is increasingly being shared by many people. From curious guests to trials, they are gradually conquered, becoming veteran members who practice for a long time thanks to the optimal cost packages built by the club.
The most surprising thing is that this playground not only attracts Gen Z but also becomes a meeting point for many students in their 40s and 50s. In the afternoons, the uncles and aunts come to the training ground with rare enthusiasm.
Uncles confided to me that about 20-30 years ago, in the Mekong Delta riverine region, there were also air rifle shooting locations, but to ensure security and safety, the sport was gradually "erased". Now, having an official, legal and safe playground has revived the old hobby of many people" - Khuong added.
Having gone through the journey from a medical student, doctor to the head of a sports shooting club, Mr. Khuong concluded that the biggest lesson to improve himself every day is to need strategic orientation. Doing business with a new model is easy to create a "fever" at first, but when it has gone into orbit, how to maintain sustainability is a difficult problem.
When asked about advice for young people cherishing startup ideas, the 9X boss frankly shared 3 questions that always question himself before embarking on any project: "Selling to whom? How do people know about it? And what is newer than other models in the market?".
In the near future, I will focus on building the community, finding talents to compete in domestic tournaments, regularly organizing tournaments for students to practice and compete with each other. Because recently at the Club, CanThoShooting ChampionShip Season 1 - 2026 was successfully organized, and was welcomed by many people" - Mr. Khuong added.
As a veteran member of the Club, Mr. Nguyen Huu Du (Can Tho City) expressed: "Pressure at work sometimes puts pressure on me and I don't know how to relieve it. Luckily, I know about this sport and confidently practice it. To be honest, in the first shots, I was quite startled, but immediately after that, the more I shot, the more fascinated I became. In addition, because I found brothers with the same hobby, I really enjoyed socializing.
The CanThoShooting Championship Season 1 - 2026 tournament was just organized by the Club on May 31, 2026. Mr. Duong Hieu Nghia (Can Tho City) said: "The match was very exciting but brought excitement. This place is healthy and a professional playground for the community. For me, this sport has many good points that help train more focused and accurate skills.
