Đào Thiên Hải is a Vietnamese chess Grandmaster who was born on May 10, 1978. He was the 2000 and 2001 Junior Chess World Vice-Champion and was Vietnam's Chess Champion in 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014. He became an International Master in 1993 and a Grandmaster in 1995. He has competed in multiple Chess Olympiads, representing Vietnam.
Hải is particularly notable for his performance at the Vietnam Chess Championship, where he won five times from 2006 to 2016. His success has been repeated at international level when he won tournaments such as the 2006 Asian Individual Championship and the 2007 Open International de Cappelle-la-Grande. Other notable performances include top places at the Kolkata Open and Mumbai Mayors Cup.
The game of Hải is characterized by constant fighting spirit and uncompromising play, resulting in many of his games being decided from a seemingly drawn position.
In addition to his playing career, Hải has also been involved in chess administration. He was appointed as Deputy Director of the HCM City Sports Department in 2017 and was vice president of the Vietnam Chess Federation. He holds a bachelor's degree in Sports Training from Ho Chi Minh City University of Sports.