With 4 World Cup championships, including the championship in Ho Chi Minh City in 2018, Tran Quyet Chien is considered a strong candidate for the highest title at this year's tournament.
However, in the main round taking place from May 22, Tran Quyet Chien did not play successfully. In the last round, he lost 38-40 to Jose Juan Garcia (Colombia) after 26 sets. This result caused Tran Quyet Chien to only rank 3rd in Group F, thereby being eliminated.
In this group, Tran Thanh Luc topped the group to get a ticket to the next round after 2 wins and 1 draw, winning 5 points.
In addition to Tran Thanh Luc, Vietnam has 3 other players who qualified for the knockout round: Nguyen Tran Thanh Tu, Chiem Hong Thai, Bao Phuong Vinh.
In Group A, Bao Phuong Vinh continued to affirm the position of Vietnamese billiards with a 40-22 victory over Jeong Sung II of Korea after 29 turns. This result helped Bao Phuong Vinh get a ticket to continue.
This is the first time after 5 World Cup appearances at home that Bao Phuong Vinh has passed the group stage. The World Cup is a major title that Bao Phuong Vinh is lacking. Previously, he won the world individual and team championship in the 3-band carom event.
In Group C, Nguyen Tran Thanh Tu won all 3 matches, including an impressive 40-15 victory after only 11 sets against Peter Ceulemans of Belgium. In addition, Thanh Tu also surpassed world No. 2 superstar Eddy Merckx, thereby leading the group with a scoring efficiency of up to 2.79 points/set - one of the best stats in the tournament.
Chiem Hong Thai also wrote his name into the knockout round when he defeated Kang Ja In (Korea) with a score of 40-26 after 14 legs in the decisive match of Group C. With a solid playing style and the ability to take advantage of opportunities effectively, Hong Thai has completed the goal of going further convincingly.
The Ho Chi Minh City 3D Carom Billiards World Cup 2026 officially kicks off on May 22 at Nguyen Du Gymnasium (Ho Chi Minh City), gathering 32 of the world's leading players. The tournament will end on May 24.
