Born in New Delhi, Vij won his first medal at the 2004 Commonwealth Youth Games, where his mark of 18.45 metres brought him the shot put gold medal (India's second athletics gold of the competition along with Hari Shankar Roy). He began competing as a junior with a 6 kg implement in 2005. His first successes came the following year: he won the national junior championships, took a silver medal at the 2006 Asian Junior Athletics Championships and represented India at the 2006 World Junior Championships in Athletics in Beijing, where he finished seventh in the shot put final. He moved up into the senior ranks the following year and finished ninth at the 2007 Asian Indoor Games. He returned to the competition two years later and his throw of 18.38 m at the 2009 Asian Indoor Games brought him a fifth-place finish.