The Viet Nam Series of Poker advertised the biggest homegrown event in Hanoi, Vietnam and after ten days of action packed days, it more than delivered with over VN₫ 18 Billion in cash paid out. In partnership with Asia Poker League, the series ran from August 26 to September 4. Main Event champion Nguyễn Minh Hoàng emerged the wealthiest collecting a payout of over VN₫ 1.2 Billion and Lê Ngọc Khánh was the only player to lift two trophies. Also among the winners were Đặng Xuân Cảnh, Ha Mạnh Tưởng, and Julien Tràn. International players may not have secured trophies but a good showing of pros were in attendance such as Alex Lee, Yohwan Lim aka BoxeR, Norbert Koh, Ankit Jajodia, Sumit Sapra, and Chi Chung Ho to mention a few. We’ve got all the highlights down below.
*All photos courtesy of VSOP
Festival review
Festival prize pool: VN₫ 18,090,130,000 (~US$ 768,975)
Entries: 1,896
₫ Billionaires: Nguyễn Minh Hoàng VN₫ 1,230,000,000 and Nguyễn Quang Huy VN₫ 1,177,000,000
Main Event prize pool: VN₫ 5,473,401,000 (~US$ 232,630)
Main Event champion: Nguyễn Minh Hoàng VN₫ 1,230,000,000 (~US$ 52,285)
Two time winner: Lê Ngọc Khánh (APL Hanoi Dragon Cup & Rising Stars)
Most final table cashes: Phạm Thanh Bình (4), Lê Đình Hải (4), Nguyễn Quang Huy (4)
NGUYỄN MINH HOÀNG clinches the Main Event for VN₫ 1,230,000,000 (~US$ 52,285)
Nguyễn Minh Hoàng clinched his maiden victory at the Main Event and pocketed VN₫ 1,230,000,000 (~US$ 52,285). The featured tournament drew the largest crowd of 377 entries for a guarantee crushing prize pool of VN₫ 5,473,401 (~US$ 232,630). Kicking off the final day, only 71 advanced with Hoàng far behind ranked 59th and Đinh Hoàng Khánh way up top. Khánh raced up to 13th place. Once the final table was reached, Hoàng faced some stiff competition in well known pros Alex Lee, Nguyễn Quang Huy and Vũ Đức Trung. Lee was eliminated in 5th place by Huy, Trung busted to Hoàng in 3rd place, and Huy’s 
fell to Hoàng’s 
queen on the board.
The newly crowned champion Hoàng walked away the richest of the series while runner up Huy finished a close second with VN₫ 1,177,000,000 (~US$ 50,030) across four cashes. These were the only two players to cross the billion dong mark.
Buy in: VN₫ 16,500,000 (~US$ 700)
Guarantee: VN₫ 4,000,000,000
Entries: 377
Prize pool: VN₫ 5,473,401,000 (~US$ 232,630)
ITM: 38 places
Final table payouts
| 1st | NGUYỄN MINH HOÀNG | 1,230,000,000 |
| 2nd | NGUYỄN QUANG HUY | 800,000,000 |
| 3rd | VŨ ĐỨC TRUNG | 540,000,000 |
| 4th | NGUYỄN VĂN QUỐC TUẤN | 380,000,000 |
| 5th | ALEX LEE | 285,000,000 |
| 6th | NGUYỄN THÙY DƯƠNG | 230,000,000 |
| 7th | MASHAHITO | 188,000,000 |
| 8th | TRẦN ĐỨC PHƯƠNG | 153,000,000 |
| 9th | HÀ VĂN THIỆN | 123,000,000 |
PHẠM NGỌC QUỐC BẢO wins Vietnam National Cup for VN₫ 600,000,000 (~US$ 25,500)
Phạm Ngọc Quổc Bảo is one of the most decorated local players of Vietnam with eight titles to his name. At the series, he picked up his ninth win and first ever VSOP trophy at the Vietnam National Cup after defeating fellow Nguyen Ngoc Dai in 3rd place then Singaporean Si Yang Phua at heads up. The event drew 115 entries for surpass the guarantee for a richer VN₫ 2,252,660,000 prize pool. 14 players saw a return with Pham walking away with a career high payout of VN₫ 600,000,000 (~US$ 25,500).
Buy in: VN₫ 22,000,000 (~US$ 935)
Guarantee: VN₫ 2,000,000,000
Entries: 115
Prize pool: VN₫ 2,252,660,000 (~US$ 95,750)
ITM: 14 places
Final table payouts
| 1st | PHẠM NGỌC QUỐC BẢO | 600,000,000 |
| 2nd | PHUA SI YANG | 400,000,000 |
| 3rd | NGUYỄN NGỌC ĐẠI | 273,000,000 |
| 4th | HOÀNG HẢI NAM | 206,000,000 |
| 5th | NGUYỄN TRUNG HÀ | 160,000,000 |
| 6th | TRẦN ANH TUẤN | 125,000,000 |
| 7th | LÊ ĐÌNH HẢI | 99,000,000 |
| 8th | ĐINH VĂN TIẾN | 77,000,000 |
| 9th | NGUYỄN ĐỨC THÀNH | 59,000,000 |
LÊ NGỌC KHÁNH bags two events
Decorated Vietnamese pro Lê Ngọc Khánh outshined at the festival becoming the only player to claim more than one event. Khánh first won one of the three APL events, the Hanoi Dragon Cup for VN₫ 250,000,000 (~US$ 10,625), then five days later, he closed out the Rising Stars event for VN₫ 140,000,000 (~US$ 5,950).
A familiar face in the Asian live circuit, Khánh these were his first ever VSOP and APL titles which he adds to the long list of deep runs and titles in his resume. At the APL Hanoi Dragon Cup, the 173 entries was more than plenty to obliterate the guarantee and nearly double the prize pool to VN₫ 996,400,000 (~US$ 42,355). Out of the 22 players that dipped in the pot, it was Khánh going up against another highly decorated Vietnamese pro Nguyễn Quang Huy for the glory. Khánh persevered for his first series title. Following that win, Khánh brought his winning feeling to the Rising Stars event and successfully bested the 80 entry field.
APL Hanoi Dragon Cup
Buy in: VN₫ 6,600,000 (~US$ 280)
Guarantee: VN₫ 500,000,000
Entries: 173
Prize pool: VN₫ 996,400,000 (~US$ 42,355)
ITM: 22 places
Final table payouts
| 1st | LÊ NGỌC KHÁNH | 250,000,000 |
| 2nd | NGUYỄN QUANG HUY | 165,000,000 |
| 3rd | UNKNOWN | 110,000,000 |
| 4th | UNKNOWN | 80,000,000 |
| 5th | BÙI QUỐC DIỆN | 62,000,000 |
| 6th | LÊ ĐÌNH HẢI | 48,000,000 |
| 7th | PHAN HOÀNG TIẾN | 38,000,000 |
| 8th | NGUYỄN TRUNG PHONG | 30,600,000 |
| 9th | VŨ QUANG MINH | 24,500,000 |
Rising Stars
Buy in: VN₫ 6,600,000 (~US$ 280)
Guarantee: VN₫ 500,000,000
Entries: 80
Prize pool: VN₫ 524,601,000 (~US$ 22,300)
ITM: 10 places
Payouts
| 1st | LÊ NGỌC KHÁNH | 140,000,000 |
| 2nd | DOÃN MINH TUẤN | 91,500,000 |
| 3rd | TÚ TỈNH TÁO | 64,000,000 |
| 4th | VŨ MINH THÁI | 50,000,000 |
| 5th | NGUYỄN TUẤN HÙNG | 39,000,000 |
| 6th | CHENHAO YANG | 30,000,000 |
| 7th | NGUYỄN MẠNH TRƯỜNG | 23,000,000 |
| 8th | LÊ NHƯ HẢI | 18,000,000 |
| 9th | ĐỖ TUẤN PHONG | 14,000,000 |
| 10th | NGUYỄN VĂN SÁNG | 10,500,000 |
Mystery Bounty: HÀ MẠNH TƯỞNG – VN₫ 384,000,000 (~US$ 16,320)
The Mystery Bounty event was the most popular side event with 366 signing up to absolutely crush and double up the advertised guarantee for a sweeter VN₫ 2,107,800,000 prize pool. Earning the most kills and the title was Ha Mạnh Tưởng with eight bounties claimed amounting to VN₫ 84,000,000 and the top cash prize of VN₫ 300,000,000. In total, he collected VN₫ 384,000,000 (~US$ 16,320), the largest takedown of his poker career.
Interestingly, the next three players down the rung Quấch Tuấn Anh (2nd), Huỳnh Ngoc Cường (3rd), and Ngô Khoa Anh (4th), each drew one of the three top mystery bounty prizes worth VN₫ 105,000,000. As a result, their total winning bumped up significantly. Quấch pocketed a total of VN₫ 360,400,000, Huỳnh took home VN₫ 305,600,000, and Ngô earned VN₫ 212,900,000.
Buy in: VN₫ 6,600,000
Guarantee: VN₫ 1,000,000,000
Entries: 366
Prize pool: VN₫ 1,405,400,000
Bounty pool: VN₫ 702,400,000
ITM: 46 places
Final table payouts (excluding bounties)
| 1st | HÀ MẠNH TƯỞNG | 300,000,000 |
| 2nd | QUÁCH TUẤN ANH | 194,000,000 |
| 3rd | HUỲNH NGỌC CƯỜNG | 135,000,000 |
| 4th | NGÔ KHOA ANH | 100,000,000 |
| 5th | PHẠM DUY KHÁNH | 72,000,000 |
| 6th | ĐẶNG THANH LƯƠNG | 54,000,000 |
| 7th | NGUYỄN TIẾN THÀNH | 41,500,000 |
| 8th | NGUYỄN ĐỊCH KHÁNH | 33,400,000 |
| 9th | VŨ QUANG MINH | 27,300,000 |
Monster Stack: ĐẶNG HOÀNG VIỆT – VN₫ 250,000,000 (~US$ 10,625)
Buy in: VN₫ 8,800,000 (~US$ 375)
Guarantee: VN₫ 600,000,000
Entries: 125
Prize pool: VN₫ 960,000,000 (~US$ 40,800)
ITM: 16 places
Final table payouts
| 1st | ĐẶNG HOÀNG VIỆT | 250,000,000 |
| 2nd | HỒ TRUNG ĐỨC | 168,000,000 |
| 3rd | QUANG VŨ | 117,000,000 |
| 4th | PHẠM THANH BÌNH | 89,000,000 |
| 5th | DR.HOLLAND | 69,000,000 |
| 6th | HÀ MẠNH TƯỞNG | 54,000,000 |
| 7th | TÚ TỈNH TÁO | 41,000,000 |
| 8th | NGUYỄN TRỌNG NGHĨA | 31,000,000 |
| 9th | PHẠM HỮU SƠN | 24,000,000 |
High Rollers events
Super Stars Challenge: ĐẶNG XUÂN CẢNH – VN₫ 930,000,000 (~US$ 39,530)
Đặng Xuân Cảnh is a rare sight in the live tournament scene. In fact, he only has three live cashes to his name, one of them a victory at the 2018 APT Ho Chi Minh Main Event. His return could not be any grander, taking down the most expensive buy in tournament, the Super Stars Challenge.
The event produced a 63 strong field to drive the prize pool six times the guarantee. Among the attendees were Pham Tien Dung, Florent Remi, Dao Minh Phu, Yohwan Lim aka BoxeR, Jeffry Kurniawan, however all failed to cash.
Slipping in the money round was Nguyễn Quang Huy in 9th place, Mystery Bounty 4th placer Ngô Khoa Anh also took 4th in this event, while Cảnh outgunned to claim the coveted VN₫ 930,000,000 (~US$ 39,530) first prize.
Buy in: VN₫ 55,000,000 (~US$ 2,340)
Guarantee: VN₫ 500,000,000
Entries: 63
Prize pool: VN₫ 3,024,000,000 (~US$ 128,545)
ITM: 9 places
Payouts
| 1st | ĐẶNG XUÂN CẢNH | 930,000,000 |
| 2nd | HOÀNG HẢI NAM | 600,000,000 |
| 3rd | ĐINH TIẾN THÀNH | 430,000,000 |
| 4th | NGÔ KHOA ANH | 320,000,000 |
| 5th | QUANG VŨ | 240,000,000 |
| 6th | NGUYỄN TRUNG HÀ | 178,000,000 |
| 7th | TẠ KHÁNH LINH | 134,000,000 |
| 8th | NGUYỄN MẠNH HÀO | 105,000,000 |
| 9th | NGUYỄN QUANG HUY | 87,000,000 |
APL High Roller Shot Clock: JULIEN TRÀN – VN₫ 370,000,000 (~US$ 15,728)
Buy in: VN₫ 22,000,000 (~US$ 935)
Guarantee: VN₫ 400,000,000
Entries: 65
Prize pool: VN₫ 1,248,000,000 (~US$ 53,000)
ITM: 10 places
Payouts
| 1st | JULIEN TRẦN | 370,000,000 |
| 2nd | TRẦN TUẤN ANH | 240,000,000 |
| 3rd | CAO NGỌC ANH | 164,000,000 |
| 4th | NGUYỄN QUANG HUY | 125,000,000 |
| 5th | NGUYỄN DUY TÙNG | 98,000,000 |
| 6th | QUANG VŨ | 77,000,000 |
| 7th | UNKNOWN | 60,000,000 |
| 8th | TRẦN VĂN PHÚC | 47,000,000 |
| 9th | NGUYỄN THẾ NHƯỢNG | 37,000,000 |
| 10th | NGUYỄN HUY HOÀNG | 30,000,000 |
Bounty Events
APL K.O Bounty Special: NGUYỄN ANH DŨNG – VN₫ 75,400,000
Buy in: VN₫ 4,500,000
Guarantee: VN₫ 300,000,000
Entries: 121
Prize pool: VN₫ 290,400,000
Bounty pool: VN₫ 181,500,000
ITM: 18 places
Final table payouts (excluding bounties)
| 1st | NGUYỄN ANH DŨNG | 75,400,000 |
| 2nd | NGUYỄN TRẦN NGỌC | 48,300,000 |
| 3rd | NGUYỄN THÁI BÌNH | 34,300,000 |
| 4th | DƯƠNG VI KHOA | 24,700,000 |
| 5th | VŨ THÁI BẢO | 18,500,000 |
| 6th | NGUYỄN VŨ CƯỜNG – | 14,300,000 |
| 7th | CHOI JAE YOUNG | 11,300,000 |
| 8th | NGUYỄN HỮU MẠNH | 9,200,000 |
| 9th | QUÁCH CHÍ CÔNG | 7,700,000 |
Head Hunter: ĐẶNG THANH LƯƠNG – VN₫ 63,000,000
Buy in: VN₫ 4,500,000
Guarantee: VN₫ 300,000,000
Entries: 40
Prize pool: VN₫ 272,629,000
Bounty pool: VN₫ 60,000,000
ITM: 11 places
Final table payouts (excluding bounties)
| 1st | ĐẶNG THANH LƯƠNG | 63,000,000 |
| 2nd | PHAN HOÀNG TÚ | 45,000,000 |
| 3rd | TRẦN THANH VÂN | 31,000,000 |
| 4th | ĐẶNG VĂN LINH | 23,500,000 |
| 5th | BÙI TIẾN LONG | 17,400,000 |
| 6th | MAI BIỂN | 13,400,000 |
| 7th | NGUYỄN ANH DŨNG | 10,700,000 |
| 8th | LÊ VIỆT HÙNG | 8,300,000 |
| 9th | QUÁCH TUẤN ANH | 6,300,000 |
Super Bounty Hunter: NGUYỄN ĐÌNH HÙNG – VN₫ 50,400,000
Buy in: VN₫ 3,400,000
Guarantee: VN₫ 200,000,000
Entries: 95
Prize pool: VN₫ 182,400,000
Bounty pool: VN₫ 95,000,000
ITM: 14 places
Final table payouts (excluding bounties)
| 1st | NGUYỄN ĐÌNH HÙNG | 50,400,000 |
| 2nd | HÀ MINH ĐỨC | 34,300,000 |
| 3rd | NGUYỄN ĐÌNH PHÚC | 22,800,000 |
| 4th | BÙI QUANG ANH | 15,900,000 |
| 5th | NGUYỄN VĂN CHIẾN | 11,900,000 |
| 6th | LÊ VĂN TRƯỜNG | 9,300,000 |
| 7th | ĐẶNG QUYỀN ANH | 7,600,000 |
| 8th | PHẠM THANH BÌNH | 6,100,000 |
| 9th | VŨ THÁI BẢO | 5,000,000 |
Bounty Hunter 1: LÊ VIỆT HÙNG – VN₫ 33,900,000 (excluding bounties)
‘Buy in: VN₫ 2,300,000
Guarantee: VN₫ 100,000,000
Entries: 82
Prize pool: VN₫ 118,000,000
Bounty pool: VN₫ 41,000,000
ITM: 12 places
Final table payouts (excluding bounties)
| 1st | LÊ VIỆT HÙNG | 33,900,000 |
| 2nd | JEFFRY KURNIAWAN | 22,100,000 |
| 3rd | PHAN HOÀNG TIẾN | 15,600,000 |
| 4th | PHẠM THANH BÌNH | 11,100,000 |
| 5th | VŨ THÁI BẢO | 8,600,000 |
| 6th | NGUYỄN VĂN NGHĨA | 6,600,000 |
| 7th | BÙI NGUYÊN HUY | 5,100,000 |
| 8th | TRẦN THỊ XUÂN HẠ | 4,100,000 |
| 9th | MAI XUÂN CÔNG | 3,100,000 |
Other Events
No Limit Hold’em 1: NGUYỄN MẠNH CẦM – VN₫ 14,400,000
Buy in: VN₫ 1,800,000
Entries: 20
Prize pool: VN₫ 28,800,000
ITM: 3 places
Payouts
| 1st | NGUYỄN MẠNH CẦM | 14,400,000 |
| 2nd | DƯƠNG VI KHOA | 8,600,000 |
| 3rd | JEFFRY KURNIAWAN | 5,800,000 |
No Limit Hold’em 2: MAI BIỂN – VN₫ 24,000,000
Buy in: VN₫ 2,300,000
Entries: 33
Prize pool: VN₫ 63,300,000
ITM: 5 places
Payouts
| 1st | MAI BIỂN | 24,000,000 |
| 2nd | PHẠM DUY KHÁNH | 16,000,000 |
| 3rd | NGUYỄN THU NGÂN | 10,500,000 |
| 4th | ĐẬU THÀNH ĐẠT | 7,400,000 |
| 5th | NGUYỄN KHẮC LUẬT | 5,400,000 |
Super Stack Turbo: NGUYỄN PHƯƠNG NGỌC – VN₫ 30,200,000
Buy in: VN₫ 2,300,000
Entries: 50
Prize pool: VN₫ 96,000,000
ITM: 8 places
Payouts
| 1st | NGUYỄN PHƯƠNG NGỌC | 30,200,000 |
| 2nd | ĐÀO SƠN HÀ | 20,300,000 |
| 3rd | LÊ ĐÌNH HẢI | 12,800,000 |
| 4th | PHẠM THANH BÌNH | 10,000,000 |
| 5th | LÊ NHƯ HẢI | 7,400,000 |
| 6th | LEON ALF MARLON | 6,000,000 |
| 7th | ĐỖ TUẤN PHONG | 5,000,000 |
| 8th | UNKNOWN | 4,300,000 |
Speed Racer 1: NGUYỄN THU NGÂN – VN₫ 14,000,000
Buy in: VN₫ 1,200,000
Entries: 44
Prize pool: VN₫ 42,200,000
ITM: 7 places
Payouts
| 1st | NGUYỄN THU NGÂN | 14,000,000 |
| 2nd | NGUYỄN CƯỜNG | 9,200,000 |
| 3rd | QUÁCH CHÍ CÔNG | 6,300,000 |
| 4th | PHẠM QUANG BIỂN | 4,600,000 |
| 5th | DƯƠNG HẢI HẬU | 3,400,000 |
| 6th | PHẠM TRƯỜNG THƯ | 2,600,000 |
| 7th | KOO BON HYUNG | 2,100,000 |
Speed Racer 2: PHƯƠNG HOÀNG LINH – VN₫ 11,400,000
Buy in: VN₫ 1,800,000
Entries: 28
Prize pool: VN₫ 40,300,000
ITM: 4 places
Payouts
| 1st | PHƯƠNG HOÀNG LINH | 11,400,000* |
| 2nd | LÊ ĐÌNH HẢI | 15,800,000* |
| 3rd | HOÀNG VĂN KHOA | 7,400,000 |
| 4th | LÊ HOÀNG KHÁNH | 5,700,000 |
*Heads up deal
The Closer: NGUYỄN TRƯỜNG GIANG – VN₫ 18,200,000
Buy in: VN₫ 2,300,000
Entries: 19
Prize pool: VN₫ 36,400,000
ITM: 3 places
Payouts
| 1st | NGUYỄN TRƯỜNG GIANG | 18,200,000 |
| 2nd | NGUYỄN VĂN SƠN | 10,900,000 |
| 3rd | VÕ KHẮC HOÀN | 7,300,000 |
Tricia David
Tricia David has long experience as a recreational poker player and has been covering poker events since 2010 for numerous outfits in Asia. She spent one year working part time with Poker Portal Asia then became editor and lead writer for all event coverage of the Philippine Poker Tour (PPT). Under the PPT, she overlooked content for their website, and produced live updates on all their events. In addition, she served as the live and online events website content writer for the Asian Poker Tour. Currently, she does live events reporting in Asia for online news site Somuchpoker and is also one of their news contributors.
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