Vietnamese billiards faces a major challenge.

The ban on all Vietnamese billiards players has been lifted…

Previously, in July 2024, the Asian Billiards Sports Association (ACBS) banned all officials, athletes, and coaches belonging to the Vietnam Billiards Federation (VBSF) from participating in international activities and tournaments managed/organized by ACBS for six months (until January 12, 2025). The reason given was that Vietnam had hosted the Hanoi Open Pool Championship 2023 (organized by Matchroom, an organization opposed to ACBS and the World Pool Association - WPA) and intended to continue hosting the Hanoi Open Pool Championship 2024 (which just concluded on October 13).

In the latest ban, WCBS (the organization considered the legitimate governing body, having been established earlier and managing all types of billiards worldwide ) "suspended VBSF for one year, starting from October 16, 2024." VBSF will not be allowed to organize any international billiards events, including carom, snooker, and pool. Furthermore, VBSF officials and managers will not be allowed to participate in any billiards events, including sporting events and competitions (such as the SEA Games, ASIAD, etc.).

Duong Quoc Hoang is among the 87 Vietnamese billiards players banned for six months by the WPA for participating in the Hanoi Open Pool Championship 2024.

It is known that ACBS is under the jurisdiction of WCBS. Therefore, with the new ban from WCBS, the previous 6-month ban from competition for all Vietnamese players from ACBS has been lifted. This means that only VBSF and its officials/managers will receive the penalty, while "Vietnamese players will be invited and allowed to participate in all billiards events, including sports games."

With the VBSF banned for one year (until October 16, 2025), it is highly likely that the 3-cushion carom billiards World Cup tournament in Ho Chi Minh City (usually held in May each year) will also be affected, as this tournament is organized jointly by the World Carom Billiards Federation (UMB) and the VBSF. Previously, the 3-cushion carom billiards World Cup tournaments in Ho Chi Minh City were jointly organized by the Ho Chi Minh City Billiards & Snooker Federation (HBSF) and the UMB.

But…

Although the ban on all Vietnamese players has been lifted, the ban previously imposed by the World Carom Billiards Federation (UMB, also part of WCBS) and the WPA may still be in effect. Specifically, 87 pool players were recently banned by the WPA for six months (starting October 14, 2024), preventing them from participating in pool tournaments organized by the WPA (or its members: for example, ACBS or VBSF). The reason is that these players participated in the Hanoi Open Pool Championship 2024, a tournament not licensed by the WPA.

Ngo Dinh Nai has been banned by UMB for a long time, ever since he switched to playing for PBA.

Meanwhile, the UMB has banned 27 Vietnamese 3-cushion carom billiards players from August 27, 2024, to August 27, 2025. These players will be prohibited from participating in tournaments organized by the UMB (or its members, such as VBSF...). The reason is that these 27 players participated in the 2024 PBA Hanoi Open 3-cushion carom tournament (organized by the PBA, an organization opposed to the UMB). Previously, many famous Vietnamese 3-cushion carom players such as Ngo Dinh Nai, Ma Minh Cam, Nguyen Quoc Nguyen, and Nguyen Duc Anh Chien were also banned by the UMB for playing for the PBA in South Korea. However, in the 3-cushion carom billiards world, choosing to play for the PBA and being banned by the UMB has become commonplace, as players accept the terms of the game.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/lien-doan-bi-the-gioi-cam-1-nam-billiards-viet-nam-lieu-co-roi-vao-khung-hoang-185241023131637019.htm