Vietnamese mountain climber aims for third Everest climb

Nhien was born in a poor family and grew up mostly with corn, sweet potatoes and wild vegetables instead of rice and meat.

"When I was small, I knew that I needed to have a university degree to earn a good job later. However, my academic performance wasn't good, so I chose to study at the University of Sports HCM City, although I also struggled a lot to pass the entrance exam," Nhien said.

Being a malnourished boy, Nhien decided to improve his stature by practising martial arts at a pagoda every day. That helped him stand at 1.75m, which was enough to register for the school.

And his journey to conquer Everest also stemmed from such a pragmatic mindset.

"The organisers of the Everest climbing programme provided transportation, and on the way back we were given VND 5,000 for the bus fare, even though the bus ticket was only VND 3,000 at the time. Seeing how profitable it was for someone like me, I participated in the selection and unexpectedly, I passed the first round," he said.

Step by step, Nhien overcame thousands of candidates to be among the final four.

Teammates and Nhien first tried with Fansipan in Vietnam, then the over 4,000m Kinabalu of Malaysia, 5,900m of Kilimanjaro in Tanzania and the 6,160m Island Peak in Nepal, all before Everest.

Each time he completed a section, Nhien received a sum of money. In this way, conquering Everest, which initially began as a way to change his life, became a reality for him.

Mount Everest straddles the border between Nepal and China at the crest of the Himalayan mountain chain.

Reaching the top of the world is an arduous and potentially deadly undertaking due to the extreme altitude, avalanches, icefalls, and other hazards. It takes a 19-day round trip to trek to and from the base camp. Once there, it then takes an average of 40 days to climb to the peak of Everest.

"It was a race of people who are not afraid of death," said Nhien. "Thinking back, I still don't understand where I got the courage and strength to go on that trip."

He naively registered for the programme without ever having heard of Mount Everest, or even knowing what the "roof of the world" looked like. He simply felt that he had an advantage of a sport-studying student.

In 2008, 22-year-old Nhien became only the third Vietnamese person to summit Mount Everest, making him the youngest of the group.

“Honestly, climbing Everest is almost entirely about willpower. My body was no longer mine , it felt like a pre-programmed machine. I could only keep moving, step by step. Stopping at the wrong moment would have meant certain death,” he said.

"Through this challenge, I found that people could do anything if they have faith, perseverance and willpower. More importantly, during this trip, I saw that love between people is the most precious and sacred thing."

After that remarkable achievement, Nhien returned to normal life. He tried his hand at many different jobs, working as a tour guide, returning to his athletic career with his best effort being a silver medalist in wall climbing at the 26th SEA Games, and then venturing into business.

Fourteen years after the first time on Everest, Nhien decided to try and be on top again, but with a higher level of difficulty.

He wanted to reach the peak on May 10 to make Vietnam the country with the earliest person to reach the summit that year.

"Given my abilities, having climbed Everest once before, conquering it the second time was understandable. However, I wanted to do something more special for myself and for the Vietnamese people, ahead of other countries," said Nhien.

However, due to bad weather, he couldn't make it.

Many teammates then gave up, but he didn't. He was determined to reach the summit and became the first Vietnamese person to summit twice.

"I raised the Vietnamese flag high with immense pride and happiness when I made it," said Nhien, who was nicknamed 'the Vietnam Sherpa' by local Sherpas.

This year, he will come back to tackle Mount Everest again, with an even higher target.

Phan Thanh Nhien in his second attempt to climb Mount Everest.

“Everest is always a dream of mountain climbers and extreme sports lovers. It demands everything, yet gives back more than you can imagine,” said Nhien. "Standing on top of the world is a feeling beyond words. At 22, I succeeded with youthful energy, willpower and self-belief. At 37, I want to return with more experience and take on greater challenges, aiming to climb the world’s highest peak two or three times in a single trip in 2026.

"Mountaineering has shaped who I am, helping me overcome seemingly impossible challenges. Once willpower is forged, no mountain is unconquerable.”