Vietnam’s quick and aggressive response to the current Covid-19 crisis has been widely recognized for its success in keeping transmission rates under control especially in the Southeast Asia region where a number of high risk countries are still in a losing battle against the spread of the virus. For more than a month, no local transmissions were recorded in the country allowing the economy including live poker to open back up. With live poker festivals in recent months meeting great turnouts, the Vietnam Series of Poker Championship II held in Grand Loyal Poker Club in Hanoi, Vietnam carried on to award over VND 6 billion (~USD 260,000) in guarantees last mid-November.
Live poker in Vietnam shows no sign of slowing down anytime soon with the 9-day series which ran from November 14-22, 2020, having generated a new record biggest prize pool amounting to more than VND 15 billion (~USD 650,000). Main Event champion Hoang Ngoc Tai and Superstars Challenge champion Pham Quyet Tien were among the big winners of the series, taking home over a billion VND (~USD 43,300) each for their victories. A first in Vietnam, the VSOP Championship II’s Heads up event was also a success, making this format a possible staple in local festivals. All in all, the series catered to more than 300 players from 21 nations despite the decreased tourism across the world with more live poker action likely to follow in the coming months.
2020 VSOP Championship II Main Event: Hoang Ngoc Tai – VND 1,024,300,000 (~USD 44,385)
The multi-day Main Event attracted a whopping total of 449 entries from its four starting day flights, surpassing the initial guarantee of VND 3 billion (~USD 130,000). The generated prize pool of VND 4,355,300,000 (~USD 188,726) was awarded spread out to roughly 10% of the field with local Hoang Ngoc Tai taking the lion’s share of VND 1,024,300,000 (~USD 44,385) for his impressive run.
Hoang Ngoc Tai is no stranger to running deep in these live events, having a record of close to a million USD in total live earnings and ranking 4th in Vietnam’s All Time Money List. Just earlier this year, Tai finished 2nd in the 2020 Aussie Millions Poker Championship Main Event in Melbourne, bagging a score of USD 910,447 in winnings. With a record of only nine events based on Hendon Mob, Tai takes this VSOP Main Event win as his first champion title in his 7-year results history.
Buy-in: VND 11,000,000 (~USD 477)
Dates: November 18-21, 2020
Guarantee: VND 3,000,000,000 (~USD 130,000)
Entries: 449
Prize pool: VND 4,355,300,000 (~USD 188,726)
ITM: 45 places
VSOP Championship II Main Event Final Table Results
| Place | Name | Prize in VND |
| 1 | Hoang Ngoc Tai | 1,024,300,000 (~USD 44,385) |
| 2 | Ha Manh Tuong | 660,000,000 (~USD 28,600) |
| 3 | Ge Yingrui | 420,000,000 (~USD 18,200) |
| 4 | Youl | 300,000,000 (~USD 13,000) |
| 5 | Vu Duc Trung | 230,000,000 (~USD 9,966) |
| 6 | Vu Quang Hung | 180,000,000 (~USD 7,800) |
| 7 | Pham Ngoc Quang | 140,000,000 (~USD 6,066) |
| 8 | Nguyen Trung Ha | 108,000,000 (~USD 4,680) |
| 9 | Nguyen Tien Cong | 85,000,000 (~USD 3,683) |
2020 VSOP Championship II Superstar Challenge: Pham Quyet Tien – VND 1,155,000,000 (~USD 50,050)
The single day Superstars Challenge turned out to be a big surprise for the VSOP Championship participants as the first prize money rose to be larger than that of the Main Event champion’s payout. Having outlasted only 28 players, Pham Quyet Tien shipped the win of VND 1,155,000,000 (~USD 50,050) after defeating the pro-heavy field.
Pham Quyet Tien is a regular of live poker festivals around the Asian region with a long list of achievements dating back to a decade under his name. This most recent win however, seems to be Tien’s Best Live Cash, surpassing his previous record of $22,837 for coming in 4th for the Asian Poker Tour Championship Event in 2019. While many are tuning in to the online poker scene, these skilled Vietnamese players are definitely turning huge profits in recent live poker events, making 2020 an eventful year despite the circumstances.
Buy-in: VND 106,000,000 (~USD 4,593)
Dates: November 15, 2020
Guarantee: –
Entries: 29
Prize pool: VND 2,813,000,000 (~USD 121,894)
ITM: 5 places
VSOP Championship II Superstars Challenge Full Payouts
| Place | Name | Prize in VND |
| 1 | Pham Quyet Tien | 1,155,000,000 (~USD 50,050) |
| 2 | Dang Duy Thanh | 703,000,000 (~USD 30,463) |
| 3 | Pham Tien Dung | 465,000,000 (~USD 20,150) |
| 4 | Vu Duc Trung | 280,000,000 (~USD 12,133) |
| 5 | Vu Quang Hai | 210,000,000 (~USD 9,100) |
2020 VSOP Championship II High Roller Event: Ho Chi Hung – VND 623,300,000 (~USD 27,010)
Similar to the previous events, the two-day High Roller Event likewise met a great turnout of 63 entries. With only a guarantee of VND 1 billion (~USD 43,333), the total prize pool rose to almost double in value amounting to VND 1,890,000,000 (~USD 81,898). This time, a Hong Kong pro Chung Chi Ho emerged victorious, scooping up a payout of VND 623,300,000 (~USD 27,010) for his victory.
While many of Chung Chi Ho’s recent cashes are from the World Series of Poker Online 2020 festival, his most recent win proves that his skillset on the live tables have not rusted at all. The Covid-19 situation has left many poker players with limited options for live poker action, with the majority forced to take a break due to the risks involved. With Vietnam’s low transmission rates and eased travel restrictions however, Chung Chi Ho shows that a trip to the Southeast Asian nation may prove worthwhile and possibly, profitable.
Buy-in: VND 33,000,000 (~USD 1,430)
Dates: November 21-22, 2020
Guarantee: VND 1,000,000,000 (~USD 43,333)
Entries: 63
Prize pool: VND 1,890,000,000 (~USD 81,898)
ITM: 8 places
VSOP Championship II High Roller Event Full Payouts
| Place | Name | Prize in VND |
| 1 | Ho Chi Chung | 623,300,000 (~USD 27,010) |
| 2 | Le Ngoc Khanh | 405,000,000 (~USD 17,545) |
| 3 | Kim Sinwoo | 250,000,000 (~USD 10,833) |
| 4 | Plivcs Aigars | 175,000,000 (~USD 7,583) |
| 5 | Vu Duc Trung | 130,000,000 (~USD 5,633) |
| 6 | Tran Huy Hoang | 100,000,000 (~USD 4,333) |
| 7 | Chu Hong Tu | 80,000,000 (~USD 3,466) |
| 8 | Pham Quoc Bao | 70,000,000 (~USD 3,033) |
2020 VSOP Championship II Kick Off Event: Nguyen Tien Cong – VND 360,350,000 (~USD 15,615)
The first event of the series turned out better than expected, having garnered 327 entries from four starting day flights. A little over the guarantee, the total prize pool of VND 1,634,450,000 (~USD 70,825) was distributed to its last 50 players remaining. With only 48 players making it to the final day, local Nguyen Tien Cong took his 80,000 less than average chip stack all the way to the final table.
The payjump of roughly USD 6,000 from first to second led to no deals, giving Nguyen Tien Cong all the glory after beating opponent Ly Dac Dung in a heads up battle. His outstanding win awarded Nguyen Tien Cong the biggest payout for the tournament worth VND 360,350,000 (~USD 15,615) in cash prize.
Buy-in: VND 5,500,000 (~USD 238)
Dates: November 14-17, 2020
Guarantee: VND 1,500,000,000 (~USD 65,000)
Entries: 327
Prize pool: VND 1,634,450,000 (~USD 70,825)
ITM: 50 places
VSOP Championship II Kick Off Event Final Table Results
| Place | Name | Prize in VND |
| 1 | Nguyen Tien Cong | 360,350,000 (~USD 15,615) |
| 2 | Ly Dac Dung | 225,500,000 (~USD 9,771) |
| 3 | Chu Tien Thanh | 154,900,000 (~USD 6,712) |
| 4 | Phan Quang Anh | 118,000,000 (~USD 5,113) |
| 5 | Nguyen Trung Ha | 90,000,000 (~USD 3,900) |
| 6 | Nguyen Ngoc Tu | 68,900,000 (~USD 2,986) |
| 7 | Nguyen Thach Nhan | 53,900,000 (~USD 2,355) |
| 8 | Tran Huy Hoang | 41,600,000 (~USD 1,802) |
| 9 | Vu Quang Hai | 32,600,000 (~USD 1,413) |
Other Results
● Event #7 Monster Stack: Terry Nguyen – VND 225,800,000 (~USD 9,785)
Buy-in: VND 6,600,000 (~USD 286)
Entries: 140
● Event #9 Heads up Event: Pham Tien Cong – VND 388,000,000 (~USD 16,813)
Buy-in: VND 55,000,000 (~USD 2,383)
Entries: 16
● Event #10 High Roller Club Event: Chu Thai Thinh – VND 583,000,000 (~USD 25,263)
Buy-in: VND 66,000,000 (~USD 2,860)
Entries: 20
● Event #2 Charity Event: Nguyen Tho Que – VND 9,750,000 (~USD 422)
Buy-in: VND 1,800,000 (~USD 78)
Entries: 23
● Event #5 Bounty Hunter 1: Nguyen Huu Manh – VND 37,140,000 (~USD 1,609)
Buy-in: VND 3,500,000 (~USD 152)
Entries: 61
● Event #8 NLHE Event 1: Phan Dieu Huong – VND 46,000,000 (~USD 1,993)
Buy-in: VND 3,500,000 (~USD 152)
Entries: 50
● Event #11 Short Deck Event: Birss Robert – VND 32,480,000 (~USD 1,407)
Buy-in: VND 3,500,000 (~USD 152)
Entries: 28
● Event #12 Bounty Hunter 2: Ge Yingrui – VND 25,405,000 (~USD 1,101)
Buy-in: VND 2,400,000 (~USD 104)
Entries: 51
● Event #13 NLHE Event 2: Nguyen Thuy Duong – VND 37,890,000 (~USD 1,642)
Buy-in: VND 3,500,000 (~USD 152)
Entries: 29
● Event #16 The Closer: Vu Thai Bao – VND 158,800,000 (~USD 6,881)
Buy-in: VND 6,300,000 (~USD 273)
Entries: 90
