A new milestone for Vietnamese billiards .
This is the 10th time since 2015 that Ho Chi Minh City has been awarded the right to host a World Cup leg by the World Carom Billiards Federation (UMB). This demonstrates the growing prestige and professional organizational capacity of Vietnamese billiards on the international stage. After many years of strong development, Vietnam has not only become a familiar destination for major tournaments but is also considered one of the leading countries in Asia in terms of the development of 3-cushion carom billiards.
A notable aspect of this year's tournament is the large number of Vietnamese female billiards players participating. Providing opportunities for female players to participate not only has professional significance but also demonstrates the comprehensive development of Vietnamese billiards, while simultaneously addressing the trend of promoting equal opportunities in high-performance sports .
Although they couldn't advance further in the qualifying rounds, players like Le Thi Ngoc Hue, Luong Thi Thom, and Nguyen Thi Lien still left many positive impressions. Competing against international players helped them gain experience, improve their skills, and aim for bigger goals in the future. These performances also contributed to spreading the rapidly developing women's 3-cushion carom billiards movement in Vietnam recently.
In addition, this year's tournament also witnessed the emergence of the promising young talent Nguyen Minh Tri. At the age of 17, Minh Tri became the youngest player in the history of Vietnamese 3-cushion carom billiards to qualify for the World Cup after the national selection round. Not only did he qualify, but Minh Tri also performed impressively, advancing through the first qualifying round before being eliminated in the second. This achievement demonstrates remarkable progress and great potential for development for this young Vietnamese player.
With a combination of experienced players, promising young talents, and the strong development of the women's billiards movement, the Ho Chi Minh City World Cup 2026 continues to be proof of the steady progress of Vietnamese billiards on the international stage.
An opportunity for homeowner representatives .
The Ho Chi Minh City World Cup 2026 further affirms Vietnam's position on the world billiards map by bringing together a host of top players such as the reigning champion from Bogota and world number one Cho Myung Woo (South Korea), Dick Jaspers (Netherlands), Marco Zanetti (Italy), Eddy Merckx (Belgium), and Tayfun Tasdemir (Turkey). The presence of this international "superstar" promises to deliver top-level competitions at the Nguyen Du Gymnasium, while also opening up great opportunities for the home players to assert their dominance.
Competing on home soil, with the support of a large crowd, Vietnamese billiards players consistently demonstrate explosive fighting spirit and the ability to surprise top-ranked opponents. Therefore, the Ho Chi Minh City World Cup 2026 is not only a celebration of world billiards but also an opportunity for Vietnamese players to further assert their position, accumulate points on the international rankings, and nurture hopes of keeping the championship trophy at home.
The focus of expectations continues to be on Tran Quyet Chien – currently the most experienced and consistent billiards player in Vietnam. The 2018 Ho Chi Minh City World Cup champion maintains his high performance among the world's top players and is considered the host nation's greatest hope in this year's tournament. Fans are eagerly awaiting the 1984-born player to recreate that historic moment and lift the championship trophy for the second time on home soil.
Besides Quyet Chien, Tran Thanh Luc is also a name that has received much attention. After winning the World Cup Bogota 2025, the player born in 1990 showed remarkable progress and impressive competitive spirit. In the first World Cup leg of 2026 in Bogota, Thanh Luc continued to reach the final before finishing as runner-up. This achievement has given him more confidence as he aims to conquer the title in Ho Chi Minh City.
Besides the two experienced players mentioned above, Vietnamese billiards also places its faith in players currently in good form such as Chiem Hong Thai and Nguyen Tran Thanh Tu. These are all players who have the potential to create surprises against strong opponents if they maintain their consistency.
Perhaps the most noteworthy is Bao Phuong Vinh – a player still yearning for his first World Cup title. Despite winning the World Championship in 2023 and the World Team Championship in 2024, the World Cup title remains the missing piece for the player born in 1995. Phuong Vinh has repeatedly expressed his desire to win a World Cup leg of the tournament, and it would be even more meaningful if it happened in Ho Chi Minh City. With his impressive performance, having just won the Asian runner-up title earlier in May, that goal is entirely achievable.
Source: https://baovanhoa.vn/the-thao/cho-bung-no-tren-san-nha-230459.html
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