By Lê Hương

Vietnamese businessman Nguyễn Mạnh Duy has achieved a remarkable feat by conquering two of the world's highest peaks, Everest and Lhotse, within 48 hours.

Both are part of the Himalayas, located along the border of Nepal and Chinese Tibet. Mount Everest is 8,848m high, while Lhotse is close behind at 8,516m.

“An overwhelming sense of joy filled me as I stood on the summit of Lhotse. I felt that I had fulfilled a promise to myself - that I didn’t back down, didn’t give up in the face of such a tremendous challenge,” Duy told Việt Nam News.

“I almost cried out loud on the summit,” he said. “I told my guide that I wanted to go home. I thought of my family and friends, the ones who had supported me from the moment I began planning to conquer Everest.”

For Duy, 41, this was more than just a physical feat; it was also a deeply spiritual journey. Compared to his first visit to the Himalayas 10 years ago, this experience marked a new milestone, where he felt more in tune with himself amid the heights of the sky.

“When we look at the towering, majestic peaks, we can realise that if we transform our inner energy to be like those mountains, we too can become one with them, as if sharing the same powerful, unified energy,” he said.

“Between the mountain and the climber, there is no divide between conqueror and the conquered. Instead, both are moving towards the same purpose. Mountaineering embodies the spirit of striving upward, a pursuit that aspires to nobility. So let’s transform our energy to be like the energy of the mountains, and we’ll gain the determination we need to climb them.”

Duy said that mountaineering is an extremely demanding discipline, full of danger and risk. Without genuine passion, it’s incredibly difficult to pursue.

The feat Duy managed in just 48 hours is a rare and strenuous challenge, even for professional climbers. For an amateur mountaineer from Việt Nam without a formal background in the sport, the journey was exponentially more difficult.

A former journalist, he spent two years preparing physically, mentally and logistically, including partnering with professional Sherpas and the expedition company Adventure 14 Summit.

Before attempting the double summit challenge, Duy trained by climbing peaks of 6,000m and 7,000m, even reaching close to the 8,000m mark in the past two years.

Alongside Duy, the Vietnamese mountaineering community has witnessed several memorable milestones.

In 2008, climbers Bùi Văn Ngợi, Phan Thanh Nhiên and Nguyễn Mậu Linh made history as the first Vietnamese to conquer Everest, often referred to as the 'Roof of the World'.

In 2022, Nhiên again raised the Vietnamese flag on Everest. Just three days later, Nguyễn Thị Thanh Nhã became the first Vietnamese woman to set foot on the summit.

Belief and discipline

Duy believes that Vietnamese people generally have a suitable physical constitution for climbing Everest.

“I don’t give general advice because everyone has different physical conditions and training methods,” he said. “But the summits must be approached with patience and perseverance.”

He noted that even on one’s very first climb, from the check-in point to stepping onto the mountain, the dangers and challenges are evident. That’s why focus and mental discipline are essential.

“Personally, I approach mountaineering slowly, steadily and patiently,” Duy said. “These are the true qualities of a mountaineer. It’s not about speed or brute strength. Of course, a solid physical foundation and strong adaptability are still essential.”

Duy is also the founder of Om Himalayas, which operates two Tibetan Culture Houses in Hà Nội and HCM City, along with branches in Kathmandu and Melbourne. His goal is to promote the cultural and spiritual values of the Himalayan region.

“When we come to the Himalayas, it’s not just about the mountains; we come to experience the people, the culture, the way of life and the faith,” Duy said.

His spiritual inspiration comes from Tibetan Buddhism, which he actively follows. “It was my connection with Tibetan Buddhist traditions that led me to the Himalayas to reflect on the sacred energy found here,” he said.

Duy believes that this spiritual connection played a key role in giving him the inner strength and calm needed to endure the challenges of high-altitude mountaineering. VNS