Vietnamese pilots arrive in the Republic of Korea on September 30. They will compete at the Paragliding World Cup Gochang from October 1 to 8. (Photo courtesy of Dinh The Anh) They are among the 120 best pilots in the worldwho are gathering in Gochang, a county in North Jeolla province.
These six participants, who arrived in the RoKon September 30 safe and sound, are well-known.
Tran Hoang Kim, Vu Tuan Dung and Le Hoang Bachqualified in August thanks to their outstanding performance in recent years.
They are joined by Do Huu Le, Dinh The Anh andNguyen Thi Hai Yen, who made their names with their results from the PutalengXC Open 2020.
The increasing number of Vietnamese competitorsat the World Cup is a remarkable improvement for Vietnam. As a new sport, thereis no federation yet, but all activities are managed and developed by sixclubs.
While this will be Bach's second World Cup afterhis first appearance in 2019, the rest are fresh faces in the global competition.
Bach was one of the first paragliders in Vietnam.With nearly two decades of flying since 2005, he has performed remarkably.
He was in second place in two Vietnamese pilots'favourite destinations with a 209.95km fly in Khao Sadao, Thailand and a126.49km fly in Tam Duong district, Lai Chau province, Vietnam.
He is currently No 5 in Vietnam's ranking.
Dung, now No 2 in Vietnam, has been flying since2013. He is the pioneering pilot joining paragliding events abroad. He is thereigning champion of the Putaleng XC Open 2020 after placing third atThailand's ASEAN Friendship Open 2019.
Kim, 22, is the team's youngest member, beganflying in late 2016. Despite a shorter time with the sport compared to hisseniors, Kim showed off his strong paragliding passion and has not denied anycompetition if he could join, from Vietnam to Asia and even the US.
He won the title of the CIS 2019, ASEANFriendship Open 2019 and second place at the Putaleng XC Open 2020.
He is the No 1 in Vietnam and ASEAN.
Le has made his name in every destination in Vietnamwith hundreds of hours flying annually. In just two years, Le has grabbed highresults in local competitions and a slot at the World Cup.
Anh has flown individually and attached manytourists with him to travel from the sky, admiring the beauty of the Son Trapeninsula in Da Nang.
He has also flown everywhere in Vietnam and discovered Asia andEurope. He is the defending champion of the Ta Dung and Nha Trang Paraglidingtournaments organised earlier this year.
Yen is the only female team member. The 30-year-old made a 241km flight inDeniliquin, Australia, in 2019, and made it the longest flight by Vietnamesepilots for three years, before Kim broke it with his 264km flight in Utah, theUS, last month.
Yen finished in top place in the women's categoryat the Putaleng XC Open 2020 and qualified for the World Cup.
The Paragliding World Cup is a cross-countryflying competition for paraglider pilots, organised by the Paragliding WorldCup Association, based in Marlens, France.
The Paragliding World Cup Tour visits 5-6locations worldwide each year. At each event, several tasks are flown toestablish the overall classification.
Gochang has hosted manycompetitions over the years, including the pre-World Cup and Asian tour events./.
VNA
