Former Vietnamese journalist conquers two "roof of the world" peaks in 48 hours

"Summit (reached the top) of Mt. Everest and Mt. Lhotse, let's go home!" is the emotional line of businessman and former journalist Nguyen Manh Duy (Nguoi Lao Dong Newspaper) after completing the big dream of his life: Conquering the highest mountain in the world , Mount Everest.

Doanh nhân Nguyễn Mạnh Duy chinh phục hai đỉnh núi — Nguyen Manh Duy at the time of conquering Mount Everest

When he became the first Vietnamese citizen to set foot on the 8,163 m high Manaslu peak, the 8th highest mountain in the world, in September 2024, Nguyen Manh Duy did not think it was a historic feat for the Vietnamese mountaineering community.

He considers conquering Manaslu just one of the important training sessions to prepare for the journey to explore the "roof of the world" Everest, as he previously completed setting foot on the snowy peak of Ama Dablam (6,812 m high) and many times surpassed the 6,000 m and 7,000 m milestones in the past two years.

After two years of preparing all the financial, physical, endurance, and tolerance conditions, and seeking support from the Adventure 14 Summit mountain climbing company as well as his close friend Temba Bhote, a famous professional climber and guide nicknamed "Himalayan Sherpa" with more than 10 successful conquests of Mount Everest, Nguyen Manh Duy decided to make the journey to the top of the world in a total of 40 days.

Everest and Lhotse are both located in the Himalayas on the border between Nepal and Tibet, separated by only a small mountain range. Together with Temba Bhote, Manh Duy set foot on the top of Everest at around 9:09 a.m. on May 11. Less than 48 hours later, the duo of explorers continued to complete the additional challenge by conquering the 8,516m high Lhotse peak (4th in the world) at around 7:00 a.m. on May 13.

Hundreds of people around the world have climbed to the top of Everest in the past few decades. There are also Vietnamese climbers who have accomplished this great goal in their lives such as Bui Van Ngoi, Phan Thanh Nhien, Nguyen Mau Linh, Celine Nha Nguyen…

However, it is unprecedented for a former journalist and businessman to spend more than 10 years exploring the snowy peaks of the Himalayas and finally successfully conquer two "roofs of the world" at an altitude of over 8,000 m in less than 48 hours.

The Himalayas are mysterious and captivating.

"I am grateful for the two great peaks that gave me the opportunity to come, take each step in peace and gradually climb higher. The two peaks are so majestic and of course the dream of every climber. With Everest, many people are willing to trade the most precious thing, their lives, to be able to stand on the top. Summit Everest for me is actually a journey to worship Chomolungma (Tibetan name) or Sagarmatha (Nepalese name).

Therefore, I do not care much about being the number one Vietnamese person to conquer Everest, or the first Vietnamese person to set foot on Lhotse. What matters is that Chomolungma and Lhotse have brought a beautiful journey to the place where I have been attached for 12 years. For me, the journey from the peaks of mountains over 8,000m high is also a true journey of rebirth. In a 40-day trip, I was reborn twice" - Manh Duy confided on his personal Facebook page.