Doctor becomes first Vietnamese to complete Everest Triple Crown

Ngo Hai Son, a doctor at Viet Duc University Hospital in Hanoi, successfully climbed the three major peaks in the Everest region: Everest at 8,848 meters, Lhotse at 8,516 meters, and Nuptse at 7,861 meters.

His achievement drew widespread attention in the mountaineering community after expedition organizer Satori Adventures confirmed that Son and his Nepali guide Nima Sherpa became the fastest duo in history to overcome the Triple Crown challenge, completing the feat from May 20 to 24.

The Everest Triple Crown refers to the successful ascent of Everest, Lhotse, and Nuptse, one of the world’s most demanding mountaineering challenges in the Himalayas’ 'Death Zone.'

Born in 1987 and widely known by the nickname Dr. Kai, Son is a plastic and reconstructive surgeon at the Department of Maxillofacial, Plastic and Aesthetic Surgery at Viet Duc University Hospital in Hanoi.

He is also regarded as one of Vietnam’s leading adventure athletes after becoming the first Vietnamese climber to conquer K2, the world’s second-highest mountain at 8,611 meters in Pakistan, in July 2024.

At 3:00 am on May 20, Son and Nguyen Thanh Binh became the latest Vietnamese climbers to successfully summit Mount Everest, known as the 'roof of the world.”

After reaching the summit of Mount Everest, the pair descended before continuing on to Lhotse, which they successfully summited on May 21.

Following a return to Everest Base Camp, Son continued his expedition with guide Nima Sherpa to Nuptse, reaching its summit at 6:20 am on May 24.

With the achievement, Son became the first Vietnamese climber to summit both Everest and Lhotse within 27 hours, a rare accomplishment even by international standards.

He also became the first Vietnamese person to reach the summit of Nuptse.

“Nuptse is very difficult to climb,” Son said, explaining that despite being lower than Everest and Lhotse, the mountain requires advanced technical climbing skills because of its complex routes.

Standing on the summits of all three mountains in a single climbing season requires extraordinary physical endurance, exceptional lung capacity, immense mental strength, and the ability to adapt to extreme altitude conditions, said Manh Chien, a member of an online mountaineering community.

Dr. Son's achievement marks a new milestone for Vietnamese mountaineering, helping elevate the country’s adventure climbing profile on the international stage, Chien added.

Speaking to Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper early on Monday, Son said he safely returned to Everest Base Camp at an altitude of 5,364 meters on Sunday evening and was scheduled to fly back to Vietnam from Nepal on May 27.

Including Son and Binh, seven Vietnamese citizens have successfully summited Everest over the past 18 years.

The others are Phan Thanh Nhien, Bui Van Ngoi, and Nguyen Mau Linh in May 2008, Celine Thanh Nha in May 2022, and Nguyen Manh Duy in 2025.

In addition, two overseas Vietnamese have conquered Everest: Khai Nguyen, an engineer born in Ho Chi Minh City who currently works in California, in May 2021, and businessman and billionaire Chinh Chu in May 2023.