Duy Thuc Nguyen Claims VPL III Main Event Title; China’s Lei Li Finishes as Series Top Earner

The Vietnam Poker League (VPL) III 2026 has officially wrapped up after 13 days of nonstop poker action at the Grand Plaza Hotel Hanoi . Running from April 19 to May 11, the festival drew an impressive 4,811 total entries across 41 trophy events, generating a massive total prize pool of VND 86,702,996,000 (~USD 3,290,380).

When looking at the final trophy standings by flag, local players successfully defended their home turf with Vietnam claiming the most titles at 14 trophies. China also put on an incredibly strong showing by securing 10 trophies throughout the series. Singapore and South Korea followed further back with 5 titles each, while Thailand captured 3. Rounding out the international winners circle were Hong Kong , Japan , Malaysia , and the United Kingdom, with each nation taking home 1 trophy apiece.

Main Event Glory for Duy Thuc Nguyen

The crown jewel of the series, the VPL III Main Event , blew past its ambitious VND 20 Billion guarantee. A field of 799 entries built a final prize pool of VND 20,490,080,000 (~USD 777,600), with the top 102 players locking up a return on their investment.

Standing tall at the end of the grueling battle was Vietnam’s own Duy Thuc Nguyen , who pocketed the first-place prize of VND 3,710,000,000 (~USD 140,795) and the championship trophy.

This victory marks the second major Main Event title for Nguyen. He won his first back at WPT Prime Vietnam in 2023, which remains his largest career cash. Coming off a recent runner-up finish at the RPT Championship I Main Event , Nguyen’s red-hot run solidifies his status as one of the region’s elite competitors.

Nguyen outlasted an international final table that featured seasoned veterans, including former WPT champion Marvin Rettenmaier and Indian poker pro Kunal Patni , before defeating China’s Lei Li in a brief heads-up duel.

#M VPL MAIN EVENT (30,000,000 VND)

Total Prize USD

$777,600

Total Prize

₫20,490,080,000

Guaranteed

₫20,000,000,000

Entries

799

ITM

102

#	Payout	Player	SPI
1	₫3,710,000,000 $140,795	DT Duy Thuc Nguyen Viet Nam	2,801.19
2	₫2,430,000,000 $92,220	LL Lei Li China	1,980.74
3	₫1,725,000,000 $65,465	CH Chul Ho Park South Korea	1,617.27
4	₫1,290,000,000 $48,955	MR Marvin Rettenmaier Germany	1,400.60
5	₫980,000,000 $37,190	VT Van Thinh Do Viet Nam	1,252.73
6	₫755,000,000 $28,650	KP Kunal Patni India	1,143.58
7	₫590,000,000 $22,390	VD Van Dong An Nguyen Viet Nam	1,058.75
8	₫465,000,000 $17,645	MF Miao Feng China	990.37
9	₫370,080,000 $14,045	NH Ngoc Ha Nguyen Viet Nam	933.73

Check the 102 Payouts & Results ...

VPL III 2026: Kick-Off and Championship

The festival opened with an absolute surge of energy in the VPL Kick-Off , drawing a massive field of 746 entries that completely crushed expectations. The tournament set a fierce, competitive tone for the rest of the series as the prize pool swelled well past the initial VND 8 Billion (~USD 291,455) guarantee.

Ultimately, the opening title stayed right on home soil. Vietnam’s own Van Tan Dong put on a dominant performance throughout the final day, outlasting a tough international line-up. The tournament culminated in a tense heads-up duel against China’s Wenjia Xu. Dong held his ground, denying the trophy to the visiting contingent and locking up a healthy VND 1,660,000,000 (~USD 62,995) payday to kick off the festival.

Tran Conquers the VPL Championship

As the festival progressed, the fields only grew more elite, leading into the highly anticipated VPL Championship event. The VND 25 Million buy-in tournament attracted 547 of the region’s top poker talents, creating an absolute battlefield of a final table packed with aggressive tactical play.

The spotlight of the finale belonged to Tuan Minh Tran, who delivered an absolute masterclass under pressure. Tran navigated a tricky, swingy final table and outmaneuvered China’s Zicong Jiang in a hard-fought heads-up battle. By sealing the final elimination, Tran kept another major trophy in Vietnam and claimed the massive top prize of VND 2,700,000,000 (~USD 102,465).

Lei Li Dominates as Overall Biggest Earner

While he missed out on the Main Event trophy, Lei Li  was undeniably the star performer of the festival. Li put on an absolute clinic across multiple disciplines to walk away as the series’ highest financial winner, accumulating $185,845 in total earnings.

Aside from his runner-up finish in the Main Event for $92,220, Li completely conquered the Mini Main Event . Navigating a field of 721 entries, he secured the lion’s share of the VND 12 Billion (~USD 433,390) guaranteed prize pool, taking home VND 2,252,000,000 (~USD 85,465). To round out his spectacular festival, Li also locked up a podium finish in the International Worker’s Day event.

#15 MINI MAIN EVENT (16,000,000 VND)

Total Prize USD

$433,390

Total Prize

₫11,420,000,000

Guaranteed

₫12,000,000,000

Entries

721

ITM

92

#	Payout	Player	SPI
1	₫2,252,000,000 $85,465	LL Lei Li China	2,266.12
2	₫1,500,000,000 $56,925	CW Chengshan Wu China	1,602.39
3	₫1,040,000,000 $39,470	HN Hoang Nam Nguyen Viet Nam	1,308.34
4	₫740,000,000 $28,085	SO Sean Ooi Malaysia	1,133.06
5	₫540,000,000 $20,495	CZ Chunhao Zhang China	1,013.44
6	₫405,000,000 $15,370	HN Hoang Nam Nguyen 2 Viet Nam	925.14
7	₫310,000,000 $11,765	MN Mingyang Na China	856.51
8	₫240,000,000 $9,110	BH Bin He China	801.19
9	₫185,000,000 $7,020	YJ Yapeng Jiang China	755.37

Check the 92 Payouts & Results ...

Up Next: VPL IV 2026

Players won’t have to wait long for the action to return to Hanoi. The organizers have officially announced VPL IV 2026, scheduled to run from August 14 to August 26.

The festival will return to the familiar Grand Plaza Hotel in Hanoi, Vietnam, carrying a massive overall series guarantee of VND 80 Billion (over USD 3 Million).

For full results, visit the Somuchpoker website.