Honored and proud
Le Minh Thuan (born in 1995) is a karate fighter who grew up from high-performance sports training in Hue city. For Le Minh Thuan personally, this is the first time the boxer has been honored to hold the responsibility of holding flags for the Vietnam Sports Delegation at a Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games). Remember at the Departure Ceremony to attend the 33rd SEA Games of the Vietnam Sports Delegation held in Hanoi, Le Minh Thuan was honored to hold the flag when the whole delegation reported on their professional preparation achievements.
The male player later confided: When I learned that I was chosen as an athlete to hold the flag for the Vietnam Sports Delegation, I was very happy. This is the first time I have such a great responsibility. But this is also the pride of the Vietnam Karate Team in general and the sports of Hue city in particular where I have grown up.
In fact, karate experts know a lot about Le Minh Thuan. Sports people in Hue City always consider this boxer a good professional athlete and should be a representative of local sports in major arenas.
"Gunners Le Minh Thuan is one of the players with a good height, 1m90. Minh Thuan's expertise has always been affirmed through domestic tournaments and many international tournaments. Therefore, it is a great honor and pride for athletes who are given the responsibility of holding flags at the 33rd SEA Games by management and leadership of the Vietnam Sports Delegation, said coach Duong Hoang Long of the Vietnam Karate Team.
According to statistics on the previous times the Vietnamese Sports Delegation participated in the SEA Games, no player of the Vietnam Karate Team took on the responsibility of holding the flag. Therefore, in addition to the milestone of honoring holding the flag for the Vietnam Sports Delegation for the first time, Le Minh Thuan also marked the first fighter of the Vietnam Karate Team to be given this proud opportunity.
exemplary captain
According to the coaching staff of the Vietnam Karate Team, Le Minh Thuan has been focused on the national team for more than 10 years. In the conversation, the Hue city fighter recalled one of the original intentions that he came to the main sport to help his family reduce difficulties. It seemed that practicing and getting used to karate was temporary, but Le Minh Thuan became passionate about it over the years.
His love for karate gradually grew and Le Minh Thuan decided to pursue a professional career. "Le Minh Thuan is a fighter competing in the heavyweight division. In the national tournament, Minh Thuan always has effective victories. In the National Team, Minh Thuan is a exemplary captain in front of his teammates, coach Duong Hoang Long added.
Through each training and competition stage, the Vietnam Karate Team has changed the player force. However, boxer Le Minh Thuan is still a face trusted by the coaching staff, often focusing on national missions. One of the reasons is that this player is exemplary, has good ethics and affirms professional achievements.
As a quiet person, almost not appearing in the media, Le Minh Thuan shared during a conversation at the National High-level Athletes' Training Center (Hanoi): "The responsibility of the team leader is very important, that is, he himself must maintain discipline. We are a martial arts family, always putting discipline first.
However, each teammate, whether old or young, still lives together in a Karate professional team. We always help each other and encourage each other to practice and complete the assigned tasks to ensure compliance with regulations.
After more than 15 years of pursuing a martial arts career, Le Minh Thuan himself has learned many things to mature over the years. Experts say that Minh Thuan is one of the fighters who are capable of maintaining high calmness on the battlefield.
The calmness and concentration combined with precise and quick movements help the male player always beat the opponent at the decisive moment. Art helps me shape my personality. In which, calmness is very important. I feel that choosing to become a karate fighter is truly fate, Le Minh Thuan shared.
Determined to achieve the results of the 33rd SEA Games
At the 2025 National Karate Championship held in Hue city (June 2025), Hue Karate Team regained a proud achievement when they were third in the overall group. After nearly 20 years, the Hue Karate Team has achieved such high results. Contributing to the overall achievement of the home team was the Gold Medal in the men's weight class over 86kg by Le Minh Thuan.
still remembering at that time, Minh Thuan believed that the result of the 2025 National Karate Championship would give him the opportunity to officially win a place to participate in the 33rd SEA Games in Thailand. After 3 months, this boxer was included in the list of preparations for the 33rd SEA Games developed by the Vietnam Karate Team Coaching Board.
Eight years ago, Le Minh Thuan burst into emotion with the Gold Medal on the Karate arena of the 29th SEA Games in 2017 in Malaysia. The Gold Medal of the kumite team (opposite) at that time was a very proud achievement of young man Le Minh Thuan (the player who was only 22 years old at that time). One of the reasons why Minh Thuan has few opportunities to participate in consecutive SEA Games is because the weight class over 84kg does not take place regularly in Southeast Asian Games.
After 8 years since the 29th SEA Games in 2017, Minh Thuan now has the opportunity to win the highest medal at the 33rd SEA Games. The 33rd SEA Games Karate competition has a competition for men over 84kg.
When I learned that this event was brought back to the 33rd SEA Games, I was really excited and made efforts in every tournament to assert myself and have the opportunity to compete in Thailand, Minh Thuan added.
Two years ago, Le Minh Thuan did not have the opportunity to participate in the 32nd SEA Games in Cambodia. Now, with his stable performance and determination to conquer an individual medal at the SEA Games arena, the Hue boy is confident in his preparation. The coaching staff of the Vietnam Karate Team still remains cautious for each player. In particular, Le Minh Thuan will be the most noticed because he is the athlete who takes on the responsibility of holding the flag for the Vietnam Sports Delegation.
The player once said that one of the things he was passed on by his teachers was to maintain a comfortable mentality and determination to achieve results before each match. Doing so, no challenge is not overcoming. In his career, Minh Thuan has suffered many losses on the pitch.
From those results, the experience of this boxer was accumulated and Le Minh Thuan himself found that he learned a lot to adjust better. Concluding the conversation, the Hue player said that he may be used to karate's punches, but certainly holding the flag will have to be practiced thoroughly to bring the best image of the Vietnam Sports Delegation to friends in the area.
