Nguyễn Tiến Minh leaps up 116 spots in the world badminton rankings

At 42 years old, Nguyễn Tiến Minh returns to the top 300 globally following his success at the 2025 Bangladesh International Challenge.

The Vietnamese badminton legend, Nguyễn Tiến Minh, has re-entered the top 300 in the latest BWF (Badminton World Federation) rankings updated on December 23.

Specifically, Tiến Minh made a remarkable jump of 116 places, moving from rank 395 to 279 worldwide. His accumulated points improved significantly, gaining 2,800 points to now hold a total of 6,280 points.

This spectacular comeback by Nguyễn Tiến Minh is due to winning the bronze medal at the 2025 Bangladesh International Challenge, held in Dhaka from December 16 to 20. Despite not being seeded, already 42 years old, and long past his peak, the former world number 5 delivered an outstanding performance, defeating seeded players to reach the semifinals of this tournament.

Although he did not make it to the final match, his achievement of reaching the top 4 in an international badminton event at his age is truly remarkable.

According to the BWF rankings, Tiến Minh is currently Vietnam’s fourth-ranked player, behind Nguyễn Hải Đăng (rank 67), Lê Đức Phát (rank 106), and Phan Phúc Thịnh (rank 268).

While most of his peers have retired, Tiến Minh continues his illustrious career with great dedication, demonstrating professionalism in every tournament and serving as a role model for younger generations. Although he has limited his participation in international events this season, every time "Minh ca" competes, he leaves a significant mark.

Not only Tiến Minh, but his wife — badminton player Vũ Thị Trang — is also performing impressively at 33 years old. With modest expectations at the recent SEA Games 33, she became the savior by winning the bronze medal in the women’s doubles event alongside Bùi Bích Phương, helping Vietnamese badminton avoid going home empty-handed for the second consecutive Southeast Asian Games.