Play with the highest ability
The 2026 National 25m Aquarium Championship just closed recently in Hue City, Nguyen Huy Hoang expressed: "This year, I have the task of participating in the Asian Beach Games and some other international programs. I will focus on swimming to the fullest extent possible. The competition of the 2026 Asian Beach Games requires great physical accumulation and I am doing that.
Huy Hoang himself said that the opponents he will face in Asian tournaments are young people. Therefore, preparation must be very careful. At this time, Huy Hoang is gradually entering the age of 30. This year, the male athlete is 26 years old and is one of the oldest athletes of the Vietnamese swimming team training and competing.
I understand that swimming is a sport that requires speed and youth. Therefore, the older I get, the more I have to accumulate according to the training plan of the coaching staff" - Nguyen Huy Hoang added.
10 years ago, Huy Hoang participated in the 2016 Asian Beach Games held in Da Nang for the first time. However, the male athlete ranked 4th in the men's 10km event. After 10 years, Huy Hoang has gained extensive experience from tournaments to win international achievements for the Vietnamese swimming team. At his current age, Huy Hoang almost understands that the 2026 Asian Beach Games in China will be the last Beach Games in his career.
Not abandoning the goal of winning the Gold Medal
Closing the competition program in Hue City recently, Nguyen Huy Hoang was sent by the Vietnamese swimming team to China for training from April 6. The training program is aimed at preparing for the 2026 Asian Beach Games.
Nearly half a year ago, Nguyen Huy Hoang was a member of the team that won the Gold Medal in the 4x1 relay event. 500m open water swimming at SEA Games 33 in Thailand. However, one of the impressive results of this athlete was the Gold Medal in the 10km event when competing at the 2025 Open Water Championship (held in Thailand). At that time, Huy Hoang achieved a time of 1 hour 52 minutes 44 seconds.
Returning to the 2026 Asian Beach Games, the male swimmer is expected to participate in the 5km distance. "I will focus on the 5km event. The goal I set for myself is to be determined to achieve the highest results. This is a Games at the Asian level, so there are many top athletes participating. Therefore, I am not subjective. The training program in China will be very important to me" - Nguyen Huy Hoang shared when talking about the target for the 2026 Asian Beach Games.
Currently, Nguyen Huy Hoang is still the athlete who maintains the best endurance in long distances that Vietnamese swimming possesses. However, we are starting to look for faces to succeed this swimmer towards long-term tasks in the next 4-5 years. Immediately following Huy Hoang is young face Mai Tran Tuan Anh (20 years old).
The 1,500m long distance event (water sports with a roof) also had some athletes capable of competing including Nguyen Quang Thuan (20 years old), Tran Van Nguyen Quoc (18 years old), Le Do Gia Khang (21 years old), Nguyen Vinh Thai Bao (15 years old), Phan Quoc Khanh (14 years old), Pham Quoc Cuong (13 years old)... Among them, Mai Tran Tuan Anh showed his ability to approach senior Huy Hoang and affirmed his expertise with a personal silver medal in the 10km open water swimming event at SEA Games 33.
We assess Tuan Anh as one of the athletes who is succeeding Huy Hoang in the long distance. Tuan Anh has his development opportunities. However, to achieve a superior result in the Asian arena, the coaching staff is actively preparing for Tuan Anh and some other promising young athletes" - representative of the swimming team coaching staff assessed.
According to the plan, Nguyen Huy Hoang will compete in the 2026 Asian Beach Games from April 22 to April 30.
