Nguyễn Tiến Minh won the bronze medal at the World Badminton Championships at the age of 42.

At the age of forty, Nguyễn Tiến Minh, with the caliber of a former top 5 world badminton player, continues to challenge younger rivals.

The legend of Vietnamese badminton - Nguyễn Tiến Minh recently impressed everyone with his remarkable performance at the 2025 Bangladesh International Challenge badminton tournament.

This level 3 world badminton event was held in Dhaka, the capital, with a prize pool of $17,500, attracting young or lower-ranked players seeking valuable ranking points on the BWF leaderboard.

Ranked 380th globally, Nguyễn Tiến Minh qualified directly for the main draw without needing to play qualifiers. There, "Minh ca" showed convincing form, defeating Tan Zhi Shen (Malaysia), Rajesh Skirar (7th seed from India), and Isaac Yang (10th seed from the USA) all in straight sets.

The challenge came in the quarterfinals against Aditya Tripathi, where he needed three sets to overcome the Indian player and secure a place in the semifinals. There, the journey of the former world number 5 ended after losing to another Indian opponent, 9th seed Numair Shaik.

At 42, while most of his peers have retired, Nguyễn Tiến Minh remains professional and persistent in his career, still possessing the skill to astonish the younger generation in every encounter.

Reaching the semifinals at the Bangladesh International Challenge is expected to boost Tiến Minh’s world ranking significantly, likely moving him up over 100 places into the top 300.

Several other Vietnamese players also delivered impressive performances at this tournament. The pair Đặng Khắc Đăng Khánh/Trần Hoàng Kha finished as runners-up, while Bùi Thành Đạt/Nguyễn Đức Hồng Phúc claimed the bronze in men's doubles. Meanwhile, young talent Nguyễn Thị Thu Huyền also excelled by reaching the top 4 in the women's singles event.