He affirmed that he needs to focus even better because there are many tasks to be completed in the immediate future.
Satisfied with SEA Games achievements
Ha Minh Thanh has passed the age of 40. At this age, many athletes in many sports officially retire and switch to coaching. However, shooting is a different sport, always needing professionally skilled but experienced shooters. When shooters are older, their accumulation will be even greater, and at the same time, the ability to achieve specific professional achievements is thanks to experience and calmness every time they stand on the judging podium.
The Gold Medal achievement at this Congress continues to be a memory I will mark for myself. I am satisfied with the results achieved. I still remember the first time I won a Gold Medal at the SEA Games was in 2009 in Laos. In this competition, once again I have a Gold Medal achievement," shooter Ha Minh Thanh shared when on the podium receiving the Gold Medal at SEA Games 33 in Thailand.
At SEA Games 33, after finishing the final of the men's individual 25m rapid fire pistol event, Ha Minh Thanh won the Gold Medal. The shooter's achievement also broke the Games record. That face quickly smiled when reporters pointed their lenses to record the moment of victory. Ha Minh Thanh said that he always kept calm when competing, so maybe that's why his expressions outside were not excited.
But in his heart, Ha Minh Thanh himself is very proud and honored to achieve the SEA Games 33 Gold Medal. The joy has doubled for the male athlete because Minh Thanh's individual 25m rapid fire pistol Gold Medal achievement is the last Gold Medal at SEA Games 33 of the Vietnamese shooting team (8th Gold Medal).
Going back more than 3 years to return to SEA Games 31 (held in 2022) in Vietnam, Ha Minh Thanh won the Gold Medal in the individual 25m rapid fire pistol final. At that time, the audience at the Vietnam National School of Shooting stood up to applaud this athlete.
Minh Thanh's result is the first Gold Medal that the Vietnamese shooting team has at SEA Games 31. At the shooting range, the shooter once said: "I was satisfied when I won the Gold Medal with the SEA Games held at home. I waited for this for a long time and now I have completed that wait.
Ha Minh Thanh experienced many levels of emotions when winning Gold Medals at SEA Games competitions held in 2009, 2011, 2017, 2022 and 2025. Surely, maintaining professional endurance and stable achievements with many SEA Games Gold Medals like Ha Minh Thanh, the Vietnamese shooting team has not yet found any more shooters.
Still waiting for an opportunity to conquer ASIAD
This year will mark 20 years since Ha Minh Thanh joined the Vietnamese shooting team. The shooter once said that the first time he was called up to the Vietnamese shooting team was in 2006. "At that time, I was a young face, with a bit of awkwardness when I first wore the national team jersey.
Even so, Ha Minh Thanh believes that a shooter who wants to be successful must maintain a sense of profession and discipline in training and competition. That was nurtured for Ha Minh Thanh when the shooter grew up in the Army Sports environment to become a national team player.
I will focus on 2026 to find opportunities to conquer the ASIAD 20 arena in Japan. For me, the ASIAD arena is still a major professional challenge," shooter Ha Minh Thanh confided when talking at SEA Games 33 in Thailand.
2010 was the first time Ha Minh Thanh tried his hand at the Asian Games (ASIAD) arena in China. Professionals did not expect that the male athlete achieved excellent performance and won a Silver Medal in the men's individual 25m pistol event, and a Bronze Medal in the team event in the same event.
Recalling that achievement, Ha Minh Thanh said that he entered the competition with comfort as well as not anticipating being able to stand in the position of shooters with the best results. However, the overall achievement proves that Ha Minh Thanh is capable of being the leading shooter in Asia in the 25m rapid fire pistol event.
Coming to ASIAD 2014 in Korea, Ha Minh Thanh continued to win the Bronze Medal in the 25m rapid fire pistol team event and the Bronze Medal in the 25m standard pistol individual event for men.
This male athlete's biggest desire is still to find an opportunity to conquer the No. 1 position at ASIAD. Opportunities may come at ASIAD 20. The male shooter still maintains stable performance and focus in training in the 25m rapid fire pistol event.
This is Ha Minh Thanh's forte. People in the profession believe that to reach the ASIAD Gold Medal, in addition to expertise, the shooter also needs a predestined relationship. Ha Minh Thanh completely understands that.
The coaching staff of the Vietnamese shooting team believes that opportunities will open up for this shooter at ASIAD 20 in Japan if he continues to maintain his determination to conquer the highest results.
Olympic Challenge 2028
Ha Minh Thanh has never won an official spot to participate in the Olympics. In 2023 and 2024, the Vietnamese shooting team built a professional plan for Minh Thanh to be one of the few athletes to fully participate in international tournaments to compete for a place in the Paris Olympics (France) 2024. Unfortunately, Ha Minh Thanh was unsuccessful.
After SEA Games 33, the Vietnamese shooting team has started a professional program towards ASIAD 20. From the end of this year, the coaching staff of the Vietnamese shooting team will enter the task of focusing on key shooters to prepare for the international competition to compete for a Los Angeles Olympic spot (USA) 2028.
From the beginning of 2027, many international tournaments of world shooting and Asian shooting that are considered achievements and awarded Olympic slots will take place. When participating and winning the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Gold Medal (Brazil) 2016, shooter Hoang Xuan Vinh was at the peak of his career at the age of 42.
Shooter Ha Minh Thanh is at the above age like the once famous senior of Vietnamese shooting. Therefore, Ha Minh Thanh is fully capable of finding opportunities to help himself achieve good results like the previous shooters of Vietnamese men's pistols.
That will be the future goal that the Vietnamese shooting team prepares for shooter Ha Minh Thanh and some key athletes. In the immediate future, the male athlete is gradually preparing professionally to compete in many tasks in 2026.
Ha Minh Thanh humbly said: "I always learn a lot from my predecessors. Even young teammates who are in good form through competition, I also exchange more experiences with them. Sports are achievements. But shooting is a preparation that takes a lot of time. Therefore, everything must happen very carefully.
Success in many international arenas in 2025 (including SEA Games 33) brought Ha Minh Thanh great joy to be included in the list of votes for the "Excellent Male Athlete" category of the 2025 Victory Cup Award.
Professional achievements have been the clearest reflection that Ha Minh Thanh is one of the best male athletes of Vietnamese Sports in 2025 and holding the No. 1 position will be completely deserved.
