Vietnam has seen tremendous growth in the poker industry over the past few years and even more so during the pandemic. This has lead to widespread adoption of the game with many players traveling to this beautiful country to compete in tournaments. A new member to the Match Poker family, the national team will be making its first ever appearance at a global IFMP event at the 2023 Asian Nations Cup in Hong Kong. They are coming with lofty ambitions and a strong team, aiming to go home with the Winners trophy and gold medals!
This is the Vietnamese squad for the Asian Championships:
Name: Jul Tran (Tran Duc Ngoc) – Team Member and Team Coach
Age: 39
Profession: Poker professional
Bio: I knew poker since I was living in France and then I love this mental game, have spent a lot of time researching about this mathematical game. I won many trophies around Asia like WPT, APT, APL and specially focus on high-roller games or other deep-stack games in which I can apply the strength of math. Match Poker is also based on skill and math while reducing many chances of luck, I think I can quickly follow this kind of game.
Name: Terry Nguyen (Nguyen Tien Thanh) – Captain
Age: 39
Profession: Lecturer
Bio: I am a teacher (on the financial field) and I love poker since I found out it is a skilled game although there is still luck involved. I have played poker for quite a long time and won many trophies like APT and APL. I got to know about Match Poker recently and really love the rules which can reduce almost all the luck in the game, so I can apply the math, probability factors and mind skills to the games. I hope this game will be popular in Vietnam in the near future, that is also my mission.
Name: Tran Huy Hoang
Age: 48
Profession: Businessman
Bio: Love travelling and poker. I really want to prove this game is a skilled game, I hope I can meet many players from around the world at the 2023 Asian Nations Cup and win the trophy for Vietnam.
Name: Linh Ran (Nguyen Dieu Phuong Linh)
Age: 30
Profession: Real Estate Sales
Bio: I love traveling, movies and poker, first female Vietnamese player to win trophies of WPT (WPT Ladies event 2018, NLH APT 2019). Proud to be representing my nation.
Name: Ha Manh Tuong
Age: 35
Profession: Math Teacher
Bio: I am a math teacher for secondary school, I studied many theories and poker professional and get some achievements. The biggest I won is the Main Event of WPC in 2022 with the biggest prize in Vietnam at that time. Beside that I also like reading books, music and math.
Some achievements:
1st Main event WPC 9 – 2022.
2nd Main event VSOP Championship II 11 – 2020.
1st Main event GrandLoyal poker CUP 4 – 2022.
1st Main event VSOP Grinder Series II 12 – 2021.
3rd Main event WPT Warm up Series 4 – 2021.
1st Mistery Bounty VSOP Championship IV 8 – 2022.
3rd Kick off WPC 1 – 2023.
Name: Dang Thanh Luong
Age: 35
Profession: Financial Analyst
Bio: I played poker for the first time about 6 years ago and I see the development of poker industry in Vietnam very fast. After Covid time, the poker industry in Vietnam is developing even faster and my love for the game of poker is still bigger and bigger. I was recently introduced to Match Poker by a friend and I really like the rules of it and want to challenge myself. I am very happy to be selected to represent the Vietnamese National Team to compete in the Asian Nation Cup 2023 in Hong Kong. I will try my best to take the medals and trophy home with my team to Vietnam.
Name: Nguyen Huu Dung
Age: 35
Profession: Businessman
Bio: I enjoy psychological challenges in general and the competitiveness in poker in particular. I like the hard headed mindset that poker puts me in. It is the mindset to always have faith and maintain mental strength in any circumstances.
Some Achievements:
•1st Championship event – APT Manila Championships 2017
•1st Opening event – APT Manila Championships 2017
•2nd High Roller – Macau Poker Cup 27 2017
•2nd Main event – National Poker Championship II 2017
•3rd Super High Rollers – APT HCM 2018
•3rd High Roller – APL Danang 2019
Name: Nguyen Anh Minh
Age: 32
Profession: Owner of a radio station – Through the Radio The Voice of Vietnam
Bio: I take on Poker as a hobby as early as 2012, starting out playing home games with friends during weekends. From time to time, the interest for the game grew larger and I start taking Poker more seriously. I was very fortunate to have many opportunities to play poker during my time studying and working in the United States from 2008 to 2017. Had my first professional poker tournament in 2016 during the World Series of Poker in Rio Las Vegas, Nevada. Since 2017, I moved back to Vietnam and start participating in many other poker events both locally and internationally such as: WPT; APT; APL; Poker Dream; etc. Poker has definitely evolved into something bigger than just a weekend hobby; it offers me a chance to connect with people and bring something greater for the local community.