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.

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.

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.

All information and photos courtesy of

Vietnam Poker League

.