USOP Vietnam Ha Long Bay 2026 Madness Kickoff Opens Strong as Tran and Naing Lead Opening Flights

The opening day of the U Series of Poker (USOP) Vietnam Ha Long Bay 2026 at the luxurious InterContinental Ha Long Bay Resort welcomed a strong mix of local and international players as the festival officially returned to Vietnam. The USOP Vietnam Madness Kickoff got the series off to a fast start, attracting a combined 336 entries across the first two opening flights.

Tran Tops Day 1A With Massive Lead

The USOP Vietnam Madness Kickoff Day 1A of saw 162 entries each pony up the VND 11 million (~USD 420) buy-in for a shot at the VND 10,000,000,000 (~USD 380,000) guaranteed prize pool.

After 10 hours and 18 levels of play, only 21 survivors advanced to Day 2. Emerging as the overall Day 1A chip leader was Hai Ha Tran with a commanding stack of 812,000 (135 big blinds). Tran also secured the VND 30 million (~USD 1,140) chip leader bonus, nearly tripling his buy-in before Day 2 even begins.

Tran built momentum after scoring a double knockout against Yiming Ji and Marvin Rettenmaier. He later surged to the top of the leaderboard by cracking the pocket queens of Nguyen Tuan Hung with ten-seven during the soft bubble phase.

Closest behind him was Andy Kok of Indonesia, who bagged an impressive 680,000 (113 big blinds). Kok climbed the counts late after eliminating Duc Hoa Nguyen on the bubble to officially end the flight. Completing the Day 1A top three was Do Khac Thang with 385,000 (64 big blinds). Former USOP Hai Phong 2024 Madness Kickoff Champion Johnni Nielsen also advanced comfortably with one of the top five stacks at 317,000 (53 big blinds).

Click To View Day 1A Chip Counts

Naing Tops The Night Flight

The evening flight, Day 1B, attracted an even larger field with 174 total entries and 22 advancing players. Topping the counts was Khant Naing with 644,000 (107 big blinds), earning the VND 25 million (~USD 950) chip leader bonus. Close behind him was Quang Minh Nguyen with 615,000 (103 big blinds), while Anh Tuan Pham rounded out the podium with 385,000 (64 big blinds).

Click To View Day 1B Chip Counts

Three More Flights On Tap Today

For the players who fell short of finding a bag on opening day, the Madness Kickoff offers three more opportunities today to get back into the action:

• Day 1C: Kicking off at 10:00 AM (Registration closes at 4:00 PM)

• Day 1D: Scheduled for 4:00 PM (Registration closes at 10:00 PM)

• Day 1E (Turbo): The final chance at 9:30 PM (Registration closes at 1:40 AM)

All survivors from the five starting flights will be back tomorrow, May 21, at 12:00 PM local time to play down to a champion.

Jensen Triumphs in High Roller Warm-Up for First Asian Score

The High Roller Warm-Up Single Day attracted a tough field of 42 entries and kept the action going deep into the night. Sweden’s Viktor Jensen had to battle through a stacked final table filled with some of Vietnam’s toughest high roller regulars, with every pot heavily contested from start to finish.

In the end, Jensen outlasted them all to capture the title and take home the top prize of VND 548,000,000 (~USD 20,785). Having traveled all the way from Europe to compete in the series, Jensen made the long journey count by locking up his very first career cash on Asian soil.

Stancer Follows Day 1A Bag with Evening Turbo Trophy

After bagging in Day 1A of the Madness Kickoff, Daniel Stancer jumped straight into the Evening Turbo and went on to capture the trophy. Stancer outlasted a 100-entry field to win the top prize after the event generated a VND 100,000,000 prize pool.

Already through to Day 2 of the Madness Kickoff with 162,000 chips, Stancer picked up an early series score and secured his first payout on the opening day of USOP Vietnam Ha Long Bay 2026.

Today's Schedule at USOP Vietnam: May 20

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All photos courtesy of USOP.