South Korea’s Juyeol Lee leads USOP Hai Phong Main Event Day 1A

Janette DeeNews Copywriter & Live Event Specialist

Updated: 2026.10.02

South Korea’s Juyeol Lee leads USOP Hai Phong Main Event Day 1A

The highly anticipated U Series of Poker Main Event kicked off to a strong start across its first day of festivities at Dream Dragon Resort, Hai Phong, Vietnam. Action filled the air from noon to night with hundreds of runners taking part in the thrilling games. The day closed with South Korea’s Juyeol Lee finding the largest bag across the 341 entry field, joined by 42 other runners onto Day 2. Three more flights are set to follow through, with Day 1B geared to run its course this Friday, September 20th, 11:00 am.

USOP Hai Phong – News
USOP Hai Phong – Main Event Updates
USOP Hai Phong – Schedule / Player Guide
USOP Hai Phong – Photos
USOP Hai Phong – Festival Results

Main Event Day 1A Recap

The first Main Event flight on schedule drew in a total of 341 (248 unique) entries across ten levels of registration with a surplus of local runners joining the scene. Vietnamese crushers Nguyen Ngoc Dai, Nguyen Nang Quang, Dao Minh Phu, and Pham Tien Dung, were spotted in battle yet failed to catch a spot into the Day 2 rounds. International contenders likewise shared the tournament floor with notables Florent Remi, William Teoh, Jinlong Hu, and Xudong Yang, seen in the mix throughout the day.

It took nineteen levels of play before the heat wrapped up following the exit of South Korea’s Jang Wongeun one spot short of the money. Jang hung on by a thread and succumbed to his fate after his tournament life was forced to be at stake right on the big blind.

Bagging time saw Lee hold down the lead over the 43-survivor pack, being the sole runner to advance with a seven digit chip count - 1,099,000 (92 BB). China’s Tan Xing lists second in rank with a stack of 989,000 (82 BB), just ten big blinds behind Lee.

Lee was already amongst the big stacks late in the day and managed to pull to the lead after his {ad}{ah} held against Joris Michl's {kd}{qd} on board {jc}{9d}{4s}{6d}{8h}. Lee scooped up the entire 217 big blind pot and carried it through all the way to night’s end.

Also joining the charge are USOP Hai Phong series winners Johnni Nielsen 712,000 (59 BB), Ryan Plant 480,000 (40 BB), Sun Jianfeng 395,000 (33 BB), and Zhichen Yu 194,000 (16 BB).

Date/s: September 19 – 23, 2024
Buy-in: VN₫ 30,000,000 (~USD 1,200)
Guarantee: VN₫ 15,000,000,000 (~US$ 609,500)

Day 1A: 341 entries / 43 qualified
Day 1B: Friday, September 20
Day 1C: Saturday, September 21
Day 1D (Turbo): Saturday, September 21
Day 2: Sunday, September 22
Day 3/ Final Day: Monday, September 23

End of Main Event Day 1A Chip Counts

Pos.	Player	Flag	Chip Count	BB
1	LEE JUYEOL	SOUTH KOREA	1,099,000	92
2	TANG XIN	CHINA	989,000	82
3	NIELSEN JOHNNI PEER KRANKER	SWEDEN	712,000	59
4	TAN KEAN WEI	MALAYSIA	574,000	48
5	LEE KUN HAN	TAIWAN	505,000	42
6	VERBRUGGEN TOM HENRICUS WILHELMUS	NETHERLANDS	498,000	42
7	ZHANG YANKAI	CHINA	491,000	41
8	PLANT RYAN	UNITED KINGDOM	480,000	40
9	DINH GIA TU	VIETNAM	437,000	36
10	PHAM NGOC QUOC BAO	VIETNAM	419,000	35
11	WAEHURST JULIAN ANDREW	AUSTRALIA	410,000	34
12	SUN JIANFENG	CHINA	395,000	33
13	LE NHU HAI	VIETNAM	393,000	33
14	ZHAI CHANGYU	CHINA	376,000	31
15	NGUYEN XUAN TUAN	VIETNAM	354,000	30
16	NGO KHOA ANH	VIETNAM	332,000	28
17	PHAM TIEN THANH	VIETNAM	327,000	27
18	LI JUN	UNITED KINGDOM	324,000	27
19	HOANG KHIEM	VIETNAM	299,000	25
20	NGUYEN THANH PHAT	AUSTRALIA	278,000	23
21	TRAN TUAN ANH	VIETNAM	258,000	22
22	LUONG VIET BAC	VIETNAM	250,000	21
23	SEDLAK MARTIN MICHAEL	GERMANY	238,000	20
24	KAMIYA LEO	AUSTRALIA	229,000	19
25	WONG TIN LAM	HONG KONG	217,000	18
26	KHATSURIA BHAVIK HARSHILBHAI	INDIA	213,000	18
27	NGUYEN VAN SANG	VIETNAM	212,000	18
28	YU ZHICHEN	CHINA	194,000	16
29	LYTVYNOV DMYTRO	UKRAINE	192,000	16
30	NGUYEN NGOC HAI DUY	VIETNAM	190,000	16
31	ISAAC PHUA CHERN HZE	MALAYSIA	186,000	16
32	TRUONG DINH GIANG	VIETNAM	184,000	15
33	BUI CONG TUAN	VIETNAM	173,000	14
34	CHU MANH HUONG	VIETNAM	170,000	14
35	VU TA NHAT	VIETNAM	158,000	13
36	DANG DUC DONG	VIETNAM	156,000	13
37	KIM KIYOUNG	SOUTH KOREA	132,000	11
38	ZHENG TIANHAO	CHINA	130,000	11
39	XU YUAN	CHINA	122,000	10
40	YU YUAN	CHINA	96,000	8
41	TRAN DUC KIEN	VIETNAM	81,000	7
42	TRINH ANH DUNG	VIETNAM	70,000	6
43	LIU YONG YI	CHINA	67,000	6

Chips in play: 13,640,000
Average stack: 317,209 (26 BB)
Blinds: 6,000/ 12,000 ante 12,000
Remaining players: 43

About the Editor

Janette DeeNews Copywriter & Live Event Specialist

Janette Dee is Somuchpoker's News Copywriter and Live Event Specialist, covering poker news and live festivals across Asia Pacific's established and emerging markets. Alongside her reporting, she plays recreationally, which shapes how she covers the game from a player's perspective as well as a journalist's.