Nguyễn Tiến Minh is competing at the age of 42, impressing international fans with admiration.

Nguyễn Tiến Minh keeps showing his superior level even though his peak years are behind him.

Nguyễn Tiến Minh – a legend of Vietnamese badminton – is still persistently competing professionally at 42. While most of his contemporaries have moved on, Tiến Minh keeps proving the caliber of a former top 5 world star, competing fairly with players decades younger than him.

Recently, Tiến Minh participated in the FELET Vietnam International Series 2025 held at the old Bắc Giang Provincial Gymnasium. Not just playing for fun, the 1983-born player impressively reached the semifinals and nearly created an all-Vietnamese final against his junior Lê Đức Phát, who eventually won the championship.

The video of Nguyễn Tiến Minh playing at this year’s FELET Vietnam International Series against Hek Fung Branson Hee (Malaysia) is gaining much attention on Instagram. The clip was recorded by Lee Jan Jireh, a young compatriot of Branson. Despite facing an opponent 24 years younger, Tiến Minh’s superior experience led him to win in just 2 games.

This video quickly attracted nearly 30,000 likes and many comments from international badminton fans, most of whom expressed admiration and respect for our veteran player.

"I am a fan of his; he is Vietnam’s number one player. Sending greetings to him from Malaysia."

"Nguyen is the most enduring player of his era."

"Is he still competing??"

"2013 World Championship bronze medalist. He made history for the country and is a persistent and determined player."

"Respect to Nguyen. Persistent, precise, and plays with sportsmanship."

At his peak, Nguyễn Tiến Minh reached world No. 4 in badminton, earned bronze medals at the World Championships and Asian Games, set a durability record with Jan O Jorgensen, and defeated many famous players like Lee Chong Wei, Taufik Hidayat, Kento Momota, Bao Chunlai, and Sho Sasaki. His professionalism in training and competition, along with his passionate love for badminton, have helped "Minh ca" sustain his career into his forties.

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