Vietnam’s poker scene is on fire. Huy Hoang Nguyen became the latest name to join the country’s growing list of tournament champions, topping a 1,047-strong field at the RPT Championship III Main Event at the Royal Poker Club in Hanoi on June 15. The Vietnamese pro pocketed VND 4,600,000,000 (~USD 174,570) — a single prize that instantly doubled his entire career live earnings.
A Prize Pool That Smashed Expectations
The RPT Championship III Main Event carried a VND 20 billion guarantee, but the turnout told a different story. Five starting flights generated 1,047 entries in total, blowing past the stated guarantee and pushing the final prize pool to VND 25,088,750,000 (~USD 952,120). A total of 132 players finished in the money.
The final table was a showcase of Southeast and East Asian talent. Eight of the nine finalists represented Vietnam, China, or South Korea — an all-APAC lineup that underscores just how competitive the Hanoi poker scene has become.
Nguyen Takes Control From the Start
Huy Hoang Nguyen arrived at the final table as the commanding chip leader and set the tone immediately. He opened his account by calling Yushin Lee’s (South Korea) ace-five shove with pocket fours and fading the draw to send Lee home in ninth place.
Drama escalated in a three-way all-in that saw Hoai Anh Tran’s pocket aces, Trong Quyet Nguyen’s pocket jacks, and Xiaobin Zheng’s pocket queens collide. Trong Quyet made a disciplined fold with his jacks, and Zheng spiked a queen to double through Tran’s aces. Despite that impressive laydown, Trong Quyet could not avoid the chip leader for long — Nguyen eliminated him in eighth and Chuan Feng (China) in seventh, then watched Zheng depart in sixth when the Chinese pro’s king-high could not improve against a pocket pair.
A Heads-Up Battle Worth Watching
With the field down to three, Hoai Anh Tran staged a remarkable comeback, seizing the chip lead from Nguyen at the three-handed stage. Nguyen battled back by flopping two pair against Tran’s top pair to retake control. Van Duong Ha exited in third after running king-nine into Nguyen’s pocket fives — a flopped set ended the hand.
Heads-up play between Nguyen and Tran lasted around 30 minutes and featured several lead changes. Tran extended to a 3-to-1 chip advantage before Nguyen doubled back to even, then built a 4-to-1 lead. Tran stayed alive by rivering an ace to double up, leaving both players nearly equal heading into the final hand.
On the decisive turn, every chip went into the middle. Tran held a massive open-ended straight and flush draw; Nguyen tabled top pair. The river bricked for Tran, and Huy Hoang Nguyen claimed the title, the trophy, and VND 4.6 billion.
Why This Result Matters for APAC Poker
The RPT Championship III at Hanoi’s Royal Poker Club is one of Vietnam’s flagship poker festivals, and a 1,047-entry Main Event generating close to USD 1 million in prize money is a powerful statement about the region’s momentum. Events like this — accessible buy-ins, massive guarantees, and a genuinely competitive APAC player pool — are pulling more recreational and semi-pro players into the live poker circuit across Southeast Asia.
For players in Thailand, Korea, and across the region looking to build live results without flying to Las Vegas, Hanoi is fast cementing itself as one of APAC’s most compelling poker destinations. Keep an eye on the Quads Poker Championship I, which fires at the same Royal Poker Club starting June 17.
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