On June 3, Mr. Nguyen Minh Thang - Standing Vice President cum General Secretary, Head of the Professional Committee of the Vietnam Chess Federation - sent a resignation letter to the Executive Committee, Chairman and Office of the Vietnam Chess Federation.
In the letter, Mr. Nguyen Minh Thang said that he no longer has enough health to continue to hold positions at the Federation, and requested to be dismissed from work from June 3rd and will hand over work as soon as possible.
Mr. Nguyen Minh Thang is one of the key personnel of the Vietnam Chess Federation. Recently, he was named by the International Federation of Chess (FIDE) in a document sent to the Vietnam Chess Federation and the Federation President, regarding the verification of some contents in the organization of training courses for chess teachers and coaches held in Hai Phong (March 7 - March 9, 2026) and Ho Chi Minh City (April 25 - April 27, 2026).
According to the content of the document, the FIDE requested to clarify some collections and money flows related to personal accounts believed to be in the name of Mr. Nguyen Minh Thang. At the same time, in addition to the announced tuition fee of 3.5 million VND/person, there are reflections that students have to pay some other fees to be eligible to receive FIDE certificates. If this information is verified, the FIDE assesses that this is an issue that needs to be clarified due to the international certificate issuance process.
In addition, Mr. Nguyen Minh Thang was also mentioned in some opinions of athletes related to the process of selecting the Vietnamese chess team to participate in the 2026 Olympiad. Some reflections said that the exchange of information through an internal chat group at the weekend led to controversy about the registration process, including cases where some chess players did not complete the procedures on time.
The above issues have not yet been officially concluded by competent authorities or the Vietnam Chess Federation.
