Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Hoàng Đạo Cương (right) presents the honour to shooting expert Park Chung-gun on October 8 in Hà Nội. Photo thethaoplus.vn

He was given the award at a special ceremony on October 8 in Hà Nội which saw the participation of sport officials, former and current shooters from the national team and many individuals from the marksman world who wanted to thank Park for his contributions.

Over a decade living and working in Việt Nam the South Korean expert propelled Việt Nam shooting to achieve world level results and win many prestigious medals.

Under his leadership, Việt Nam bagged one gold and one silver at the Rio Olympics in 2016 thanks to Hoàng Xuân Vinh, a gold and one bronze at the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023 given to Phạm Quang Vinh, a Paris Olympics' top four finish with Trịnh Thu Vinh, along with many titles and medals across international and continental competitions.

Director of the Sports Authority of Việt Nam (SAV) Đặng Hà Việt said: "We really appreciate the great affection and contributions that Park Chung-gun made to Vietnamese shooting and to our sporting legacy.

"His working style, simplicity and sincerity in life are also a mirror for Vietnamese shooting coaches and athletes. We sincerely thank Park for what he did for Vietnamese shooting, as well as for the love he has for the country and people of Việt Nam."

Park said: “After ten years working in Việt Nam, I consider this country my second home. During that journey, there were both failures and successes, all of which are precious memories to me.

"I hope Vietnamese shooting will invite better experts than me, so that shooters can win Asian and Olympic gold medals. I wish the Vietnamese shooting team even more success in the future."

Park's contract with the national team ended on August 31 and he declined to extend due to family reasons.

The SAV and the Việt Nam Shooting Federation have asked the International Shooting Sport Federation and Asian Shooting Federation to introduce quality coaches to help Việt Nam prepare for the medal-target at the 2026 Asian Games and 2028 Olympics. — VNS