10 years from the results Hoang Xuan Vinh
2026 marks the 10th anniversary of shooter Hoang Xuan Vinh winning the first Olympic Gold Medal for shooting and Vietnamese Sports. At the 2016 Olympics in Brazil, he won the men's 10m air pistol event. To date, this is still the best achievement in the history of Vietnamese High-Performance Sports.
Following the success, at ASIAD 19 held in 2023, shooter Pham Quang Huy won a Gold Medal in the men's 10m air pistol event. Thus, in terms of medal achievements, shooting is the only sport of Vietnamese Sports that has conquered the ASIAD and Olympic arenas.
However, in many discussions on drafting key sports towards ASIAD and the Olympics, sports industry leaders emphasized that the achievements of shooting should be maintained sustainably, without interruption.
10 years after Hoang Xuan Vinh's Olympic Gold Medal, Vietnamese shooting continues to have athletes participating in the 2020 Olympics in Japan and the 2024 Olympics in France but has not won more medals. However, in the ASIAD arena, the team still maintains stable achievements with medals at ASIAD 18 and 19.
At the conference to orient the development of high-performance sports towards 2030, held at the end of 2023 in Hanoi, Mr. Tran Duc Phan - former Head of the Vietnamese Sports Delegation - said that Vietnamese shooting has the opportunity to achieve international achievements at the Olympics and ASIAD if it is focused on investment.
However, to break through, Vietnamese shooting needs to focus on specialized key contents.
20 years of the 2026-2046 plan
Shooting is 1 of 9 key sports that Vietnamese Sports will invest in. The contents of developing key sports have been put forward at the Program "Developing key sports to prepare for participation in ASIAD, Olympics in the 2026-2045 period" approved by the Prime Minister on May 7, 2026.
In the investment phase of 9 key sports, including shooting, Vietnamese Sports identified tasks for the periods 2026-2030, 2031-2035 and 2036-2046.
Shooting is a special sport, shooters can compete at the top level at an older age. However, the selection and training of young athletes is still a priority. In addition, facilities such as shooting ranges, guns, and ammunition play a decisive role in competition achievements.
A group of tasks of the Program clearly states: From 2026, key sports will review and select athletes with potential, outstanding achievements, meeting the requirements of physical strength, expertise, competitive psychology and ability to improve in the next 3-5 years.
The training process will be associated with a continuous screening mechanism, prioritizing events, weight classes, and distances that are likely to win medals. To solve the problem of continuing to develop achievements to the ASIAD and Olympic arenas in the 20-year period (2026-2046), Vietnamese shooting needs the most investment.
In a report at the Workshop on contributing opinions to build the Program "Developing key sports to prepare for ASIAD, Olympics in the period 2026-2045" in 2025, the Vietnam Shooting Federation emphasized the requirement to ensure standard shooting ranges and sufficient ammunition for shooters to practice before competition.
Currently, the Vietnamese shooting team has the opportunity to participate in about 5-6 international tournaments each year. However, long-term specialized training abroad has not been deployed regularly, mainly still combining training and competition in each specific stage.
In 2026, the Vietnamese shooting team is tasked with winning the Gold Medal at ASIAD 20. From May 24 - 31, the Vietnamese shooting team will participate in the 2026 World Cup in Germany.
