Quyet Chien’s Unshakable Nemesis

In the first semi-final on the morning of May 31, world No. 2 Tran Quyet Chien comfortably defeated world No. 4 Tran Thanh Luc. The match between these two elite Vietnamese cueists drew a large crowd, as they put on a brilliant display of technique and tactics.

Thanh Luc played a tight game, constantly setting up difficult positions for his opponent. However, with his four World Cup titles’ worth of experience, Quyet Chien showed class with stunning shots, maintaining a level game. By the end of the first half, Quyet Chien capitalized on a rare miss by Thanh Luc and strung together two scoring series, leading 28–24.

In the second half, Quyet Chien turned the tables, setting up difficult positions for Thanh Luc. Unable to overcome these challenges, Thanh Luc fell further behind, trailing 36–47. Yet the drama peaked when Thanh Luc launched a 7-point run to close the gap to 43–47, and followed up with another series after a miss by Quyet Chien, bringing it to 47–49. But at point 48, he faltered, and Quyet Chien delivered a brilliant five-rail shot to seal the match 50–47 and book his spot in the final.

In the second semi-final, Bao Phuong Vinh—world-ranked 14th and the 2023 World Championship winner—faced rising star Mai Tan Huyen. Starting from the qualifiers, Tan Huyen had impressed by defeating top names including Quyet Chien and drawing with former world No.1 Kim Jun Tae. But against Phuong Vinh, he was outmatched. Phuong Vinh dominated the first half, leading 25–6.

Though Tan Huyen rallied with a 7-point run and later an 11-point series to narrow the gap to 34–28, Phuong Vinh responded like a true champion with a decisive 12-point shot, securing a 50–34 win in just 21 innings.

The championship match, with a top prize of 500 million VND, brought together two of Vietnam’s finest. It was a rollercoaster of emotions as both cueists traded scoring series throughout. Quyet Chien started strong, racing to a 12–0 lead in just two innings, including an 8-point run. But Bao Phuong Vinh struck back with two series of 8 and 5 points to overturn the score, taking a 16–13 lead. He ended the first half ahead, 25–18, with another 4-point effort.

Early in the second half, Quyet Chien reclaimed the lead with two explosive series of 8 and 7 points, going up 35–25. However, the drama peaked during innings 14 and 15, where Bao Phuong Vinh answered with two scoring runs of his own to tie it at 43–43.

In the decisive moments, Phuong Vinh capitalized on every opportunity and pulled away to win **50–44** after 18 innings—his second major victory over Quyet Chien in a tournament final. Their previous meeting was at a grassroots tournament in Phan Thiet, where Bao snatched victory 50–49 with a 7-point finish.

With this victory, Bao Phuong Vinh not only defeated Vietnam’s top-ranked player again but also claimed the title and a grand prize of 500 million VND, five times the runner-up’s reward. Once again, congratulations to Bao Phuong Vinh!