Lap T Hoang

Hoang Thong Lap, 75, of Venice, Florida, passed away on February 17, 2025, after a courageous battle with cancer. Lap was born in Huế, Vietnam, to Hoàng Ngọc Tuý and Hoàng Thị Hồng Hoa.

Lap came to the United States in 1968 under a U.S. Agency for International Development academic scholarship. He began his studies at California State University, Fullerton, before transferring to the University of Florida, where he earned both a Bachelor’s and a Master’s of Science in Civil Engineering. In 1976, he married Hoang Thi LeTuong in Gainesville, Florida. Together, they relocated to Tallahassee, Florida, where Lap began his distinguished career at the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) and was chosen as Transportation Engineer of the Year by the Institute of Transportation Engineers in 1996. He retired in September 2008.

A passionate and accomplished martial artist, Lap held black belts in several martial arts, including a seventh-degree black belt in Cuong Nhu, a Vietnamese martial art that blends hard and soft styles. He served as the Cuong Nhu Head of Style for several years in the 1970s, and he was the founder of the Phoenix Center dojo in Tallahassee, where he mentored many students.

In addition to his life as an engineer and martial artist, he loved being a farmer and traveling. Lap owned an orchard in Monticello, Florida, growing many persimmon varieties. He was a lifelong Boy Scout, known by the nickname Hỗ Đa Năng (Tiger of Many Talents), and had a love of fishing, singing, and playing the guitar. Moreover, he played badminton and table tennis, having won many collegiate championships. After retiring from FDOT, Lap and LeTuong spent their later years traveling the world, cruising to new destinations, and exploring different cultures together.

Lap is survived by his wife, Hoàng Thị LệTường; son Hoàng Quốc Nam, daughter-in-law Daisy, and granddaughter Camellia of San Francisco, CA; daughter Hoang Ngoc Vi Vien and son-in-law Robert Wilson of Lakewood, CO; daughter Son Ha Hoang Breidenbach, son-in-law John Breidenbach, and granddaughters Ella and Izzy of Denver, CO; as well as his brothers Hoang Ngoc Chau and Hoang Ngoc Hoa.