Achievements prove that all waiting is never too late.
To give the medal to the fans
The Vietnam men's shooting team including Ha Minh Thanh, Pham Quang Huy, Vu Tien Nam won the Gold Medal in the team event of 25m rapid shooting metro gun at the 2025 Asian Cup competed in Thailand.
On the 2025 Asian Cup shooting range, a representative of the Vietnam shooting team's coaching staff confirmed that this is the championship result that the athletes have achieved after nearly 20 years of participating in the 25m rapid- firing pistol event in an official tournament in the Asian arena.
Each person contributes their efforts to that common result. However, experienced shooter Ha Minh Thanh is still considered to have made his mark in his expertise as well as this is a spiritual support for his juniors to compete with. I dont know what to say, this is a good result for us. My teammates and I would like to give the medal to the fans, Ha Minh Thanh promptly shared a short story about Vietnam.
In the sports pistol event, there are professional competitions for fast, slow, and standard shooting. But when talking about the 25m rapid- firing sungline event, experts in Vietnam and shooters all talk a lot about Ha Minh Thanh.
Having graduated from the Army Sports Department, Ha Minh Thanh started practicing with guns and became accustomed to the smell of bullet smoke since 2002. In 2006, Ha Minh Thanh was officially called up to the Vietnam Shooting Team. In his professional competition journey up to now, Ha Minh Thanh has won many medals for Vietnamese shooting in all competitions. But with all the professionalism of a high-performance sports shooter, Ha Minh Thanh confirmed that professional dedication is the top priority he puts first when standing on the podium.
Opening of the SEA Games
Ha Minh Thanh said that he himself cannot remember how many international tournaments he has participated in with the Vietnam Shooting Team. But the player confirmed one thing, no matter what tournament he participated in, he always kept in mind not to disappoint the fans' expectations.
In his career, Ha Minh Thanh has had two fates to become the "opener" for the Vietnam Shooting Team at the SEA Games. The word "open the shop" literally means the athlete who won the first Gold Medal. In 2017, at Malaysia's national shooting range at the 29th SEA Games, this shooter's quick shoots surpassed opponents to bring the first Gold Medal for the Vietnam shooting team.
I still remember that as my only Gold Medal result at the SEA Games in Malaysia and the only Gold Medal of the shooting team. That is an unforgettable memory, Ha Minh Thanh once expressed.
In 2022, at the 31st SEA Games held at home, Ha Minh Thanh will continue to be the first shooter to win a Gold Medal for the Vietnam Shooting Team. Remember at the national shooting range of the National Sports Training Center in Hanoi at that time, when holding the flag to celebrate the victory, Ha Minh Thanh emotionally shared: My feelings were so happy because I had to wait more than three years to compete in the SEA Games and conquer the Gold Medal. This is the Gold Medal I won at the SEA Games in Vietnam, so it is very meaningful to me.
Few people know that the final round of the 25m rapid gun shooting event at the 31st SEA Games had some problems with electronic devices, so the two rounds of bullets of Ha Minh Thanh were not recognized, so they had to be re-shooted with beer. An active mentality is inevitable, but Ha Minh Thanh is still excited to make an important achievement for himself at the SEA Games at home.
Ha Minh Thanh started participating in the SEA Games in 2009 (in Laos). In that first competition, the 24-year-old new shooter Ha Minh Thanh won the Gold Medal in the 25m rapid- shooting pistol team shooting. After that, Ha Minh Thanh's professional journey took off and he experienced many SEA Games in his career.
At times, the Vietnam Shooting Team will compare Ha Minh Thanh to be a worthy successor to seniors Hoang Xuan Vinh and Tran Quoc Cuong. However, Ha Minh Thanh's event was a 25m rapid-firing sungline. The specific content is very different.
The truly outstanding milestones have not yet come to Ha Minh Thanh. In the professional characteristics of sports shooting, former shooter Hoang Xuan Vinh began to achieve many successes when he was in his 40s and above.
This year, Ha Minh Thanh is starting to enter his 40th year (born in 1985). Starting with the Gold Medal at the 2025 Asian Cup is considered a smooth "opening" for Ha Minh Thanh. The coaching staff of the Vietnam Shooting Team said that the 25m rapid shooting sungline event will be available at the 33rd SEA Games and Ha Minh Thanh is our core shooter participating in the above arena.
Still in pain with ASIAD
In preparation for the 2024 Paris Olympics, Ha Minh Thanh is one of the shooters who have participated in all international qualifying tournaments. Unfortunately, the official ticket to the Olympics has not yet reached this face. Ha Minh Thanh is not a person who often talks about himself in the media. The depth of the achievement goal that the athlete sets for themselves is to achieve the highest result at the Asian Games (ASIAD).
Sharing children in many practice sessions on the shooting range, this shooter said he was determined to conquer the top. In 2010, at the ASIAD held in Guangzhou (China), He Minh Thanh won the Bronze Medal for the 25m rapid- firing pistol team. At the 2014 ASIAD held in Incheon (Korea), Ha Minh Thanh entered the final of the 25m individual rapid- firing pistol and won the Bronze Medal. The Gold Medal milestone is the target set for conquest. At the 2018 ASIAD (in Indonesia) and 2022 ASIAD (in China), Ha Minh Thanh attended but could not realize the opportunity to change the color of the medal.
Ha Minh Thanh said that if we only talk about the expertise or the methods of training guns, bullets and the training method, it will be very difficult and not attractive. But above all, Ha Minh Thanh never wanted to leave his career as a sports shooter. After each tournament, Ha Minh Thanh said that he learned more lessons.
The veteran generation of the pistol event of the Vietnam Shooting Team has switched to coaching. With his current age and experience in the 25m rapid-firing pistol event, Ha Minh Thanh is qualified to become a coach. The shooter affirmed that he has not lost his enthusiasm for professional contributions. Since the 2015 SEA Games have not been held regularly.
Ha Minh Thanh did not disappoint but said that he focused more on practicing to stay calm, prepare the best professionally so that when going to the arena, he would be successful. A year later, the Vietnamese shooting team continued to participate in the 20th ASIAD in Japan. The shooting sport of ASIAD 20 will have a 25m rapid- firing sungline. Ha Minh Thanh is a key player in the men's pistol event of the Vietnam Shooting Team, so he has many opportunities to achieve results if he is carefully prepared for the 20th ASIAD.
