When he was 17, he was accepted into the Defence Services Academy and earned a bachelor of arts and a master’s degree in defense.

In January 2013, his ministry awarded two new deep-water oil and gas blocks to Thai energy firm PTT Exploration and Production without using a bidding process.

The ministry also approved MPRL E&P to extend its contract without a bidding process to operate the Mann oil field in central Myanmar.

Due to his controversial decisions over the awarding of exploration licenses and production concessions as a minister, Than Htay was transferred to the Ministry of Rail Transportation on 25 July 2013.

[6][7] He resigned from the post after Thein Sein picked him as a USDP candidate for the 2015 general election.