Vietnam Airlines organizes professional SUP tournament for the first time, gathering big names at home and abroad

The 2025 Hanoi Open Dragon Boat - SUP Paddleboard Tournament organized by Vietnam Airlines will officially take place on October 5. Although this is the first time Vietnam Airlines has organized the SUP (Stand-up Paddleboard) category, the tournament has quickly affirmed its position and reputation by attracting the participation of many famous professional athletes.

Báo Tiền Phong•03/10/2025

The appearance of international and domestic SUP stars, who possess a great record of achievements in stand-up paddleboarding, is a testament to the attraction and professional quality that the tournament organized by Vietnam Airlines brings, creating a large-scale sporting event.

Big names are about to compete at West Lake

This year's tournament welcomes athletes with impressive achievements, the pride of the stand up paddleboard community.

Shota Kurima: Warrior who conquered Molokai

Japanese athlete Shota Kurima is a monument in the world of long-distance stand-up paddleboarding. He has become famous worldwide for his consecutive high results in the most demanding tournament: the Molokai 2 Oahu Stand-Up Paddleboard World Championship, a race across the Ka'iwi Channel over 50km in the Pacific Ocean . At the 2023 Molokai 2 Oahu, Shota Kurima made fans burst into tears when he won First Place in the SUP Stock Men 30 category. In 2024, he again impressed the SUP community with his incredible endurance, winning Second Place in the SUP Stock Men category. His experience conquering the most difficult ocean races has turned Shota Kurima into a formidable opponent, promising to bring top-notch technical performances and excellent tactics on the water of West Lake.

Shota Kurima has experience conquering Molokai 2 Oahu, which is known as the "holy land" of long-distance SUP. (Photo: NVCC)

Chou Ting-feng: All-round talent from Taiwan

Chou Ting-feng is a national athlete who is versatile in all distances and categories, from sprint to long distance. He has competed in top events organized by the two largest SUP organizations in the world , the International Surfing Association (ISA) and the International Canoe Federation (ICF). In particular, in 2023, he achieved great success at the Pattaya Championship (Thailand) with the 6km Technical First Prize and the 16km Long Distance Third Prize, showing a rare comprehensiveness in both speed and endurance. Not stopping there, he continued to affirm his form when he excellently won the 10KM SUP First Prize at the 2025 Hong Kong SUP Championship. The fact that a talented athlete like him chose to compete in the Hanoi Open is a guarantee of the prestige and international stature of the event initiated by Vietnam Airlines.

Nguyen Manh Tuan: Rising star of Vietnamese sports

Representing the host country, Nguyen Manh Tuan entered the tournament with an impressive record of achievements, he is the new hope of Vietnamese SUP. In 2025 alone, he has continuously won Gold Medals in many major domestic tournaments, notably the Gold Medal for the entire team at the Danang Colorful Festival 4000m, the Gold Medal for the men's doubles 2500m at the Danang Color SUP Race and the Gold Medal for the Sprint 200m at the National Youth Championship and National Club Cup. These achievements show that Nguyen Manh Tuan is at the peak of his form, ready to enter the upcoming tournament with the determination to compete and learn from world-class athletes right at home.

Vietnam's representative is performing well in domestic tournaments. (Photo: NVCC)

Vietnam Airlines and the effort to elevate Vietnamese sporting events

The fact that a national airline like Vietnam Airlines organized a SUP tournament for the first time, attracting athletes with high achievements in world competitions such as Shota Kurima or Chou Ting-feng, has shown the prestige and ability to organize professional sports events of Vietnam Airlines.

At the same time, the tournament also created opportunities for domestic athletes like Nguyen Manh Tuan to interact and compete with international friends. This affirmed Vietnam Airlines' commitment not only to raising the event to international standards, but also to creating development opportunities for Vietnamese sports talents.

The Hanoi Open Dragon Boat and SUP 2025 is not only a sports tournament but also a cultural and tourism bridge, affirming the pioneering role of Vietnam Airlines in promoting the image of a dynamic, hospitable and potential Vietnam to the world.