Vietnamese Billiards: From Grassroots Movement to a Carom 3-Cushion Powerhouse

VIETNAMESE BILLIARDS: FROM GRASSROOTS MOVEMENT TO A CAROM 3-CUSHION POWERHOUSE

1. A SPORT THAT HAS CHANGED ITS STANDING

For more than a decade, billiards has no longer been viewed as a mere recreational pastime in Vietnam. The sport has become an ecosystem with professional tournaments, a more systematically trained athlete pool, sponsors, and an official place in regional multi-sport games. In carom 3-cushion, Vietnam is now ranked among the strongest nations in the world, alongside traditional powers such as Belgium, the Netherlands, Turkey, South Korea and Egypt.

That shift did not come from a single individual. It is the result of several layers of factors reinforcing one another: dense club infrastructure in major cities, a steady flow of next-generation athletes, a domestic tournament system held more regularly, and milestone results recorded on the international stage. Notably, this process unfolded relatively quickly compared with the development history of many long-established billiards nations.

1. A HISTORIC MILESTONE IN ANKARA

In September 2026, in Ankara, Turkey, Bao Phuong Vinh became the first Vietnamese billiards player to win the world championship in carom 3-cushion organised by the Union Mondiale de Billard (UMB). The final was an all-Vietnamese affair, with Bao Phuong Vinh defeating Tran Quyet Chien by a narrow 50-48 scoreline. It was the first time a world carom 3-cushion championship final featured two Vietnamese players.

The title carries significance far beyond a single medal. It confirms that Vietnamese billiards success is no longer an isolated phenomenon but has become a trend with depth: a generation of athletes capable of competing at the highest level, and a training system able to produce several such figures at the same time. When two players from the same country meet in the final match of a world championship, that is a sign of depth rather than a sign of luck.

1. THE GOLDEN GENERATION AND SQUAD DEPTH

Tran Quyet Chien is the name associated with the most forceful breakthrough period in Vietnamese billiards. With a series of titles at UMB World Cup events, he has repeatedly appeared among the leaders of the world rankings and has been the spearhead of the national team for many years. His extensive competitive experience has made him a technical benchmark for younger players to follow.

Alongside him, names such as Nguyen Quoc Nguyen, Duong Quoc Hoang, Nguyen Tran Thanh Tu, Ma Minh Cam, Nguyen Duc Anh Chien and Chiem Hong Thai form a golden generation with considerable depth. Importantly, these players shine not only in domestic events but also regularly overcome European and Asian opponents in the knockout rounds of World Cups.

Squad depth is one of the single most important indicators of a developed billiards nation. A country can produce a champion through luck or through one exceptional individual, but sustaining that standing over many years requires a group of athletes reaching a high level together. Vietnam has shown signs of the latter.

1. INFRASTRUCTURE AND CLUB CULTURE

The greatest foundation of Vietnamese billiards lies in its grassroots infrastructure. In Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Da Nang, Binh Duong and many other provinces and cities, the number of billiards clubs has grown rapidly over the past two decades. Clubs are not only places for recreation but also training venues, hosts of grassroots tournaments and a network for spotting talent at the base level.

Club culture creates an advantage many countries lack: the number of hours a young Vietnamese player spends at the table can be significantly higher than that of peers in Europe, where table rental costs and geography are often barriers. This accumulated practice time helps form table feel, cue-ball control and positional thinking, the core technical elements of carom 3-cushion.

However, grassroots infrastructure also poses challenges. Most clubs operate as service businesses without structured youth development programmes. The gap between the grassroots game and the elite game therefore remains substantial, and not every talent finds a path to the professional level.

1. THE TOURNAMENT SYSTEM AND INTERNATIONAL HOME EVENTS

At international level, Vietnam has hosted UMB carom 3-cushion World Cups in Ho Chi Minh City on multiple occasions. Hosting carries a dual significance: it gives domestic players the chance to compete against the world's leading opponents on home soil, and it affirms Vietnamese billiards' organisational capability to the international community.

On the domestic side, national championships, youth events and grassroots tours form a relatively complete competitive pyramid. In addition, billiards is a medal sport at regional multi-sport games, where Vietnam's delegation is regularly among the medal contenders.

It should be noted that carom 3-cushion, pool and snooker are three branches with entirely different rule sets, techniques and commercial ecosystems. Success in carom 3-cushion does not automatically translate into success in pool or snooker. This is a point analysts often emphasise when assessing the overall strength of a national billiards scene.

1. THE TECHNICAL CHARACTER OF CAROM 3-CUSHION

Carom 3-cushion demands the most complex trajectory calculation of any cue sport. The player must drive the cue ball into at least three cushions before contacting the other two balls, while still controlling the cue ball's position for the next shot. It is a problem combining geometry, physics and feel-based experience.

At the elite level, the gap between leading players is decided by very small factors: accuracy when handling difficult positions, the ability to sustain long scoring runs, and mental stability at decisive moments. A single miss at a key moment can reverse the entire shape of a match.

In terms of format, major tournaments typically play to 40 or 50 points depending on the round. This format is long enough to reflect genuine ability yet short enough to generate upsets. That balance is what makes carom 3-cushion a highly competitive and hard-to-predict sport.

1. THE YOUTH DEVELOPMENT CHALLENGE

If elite results are the tip of the iceberg, youth development is the submerged mass that determines how durable those results are. Vietnamese billiards faces three major challenges.

The first is career longevity. A carom 3-cushion player can sustain peak form well into a relatively advanced age, but reaching that threshold requires investment from a very young age. Today, most players come up through the spontaneous grassroots scene, discovering technique on their own and covering their own early training costs.

The second is income. Compared with sports that have dense professional circuits, prize money in international billiards events is concentrated among a small group at the top. Most other players must rely on multiple income streams, including coaching, grassroots competition and smaller contracts.

The third is generational handover. As the current golden generation enters the closing phase of its career, whether an adequately skilled cohort is ready to fill the gap remains an open question.

1. COMMERCIALISATION, MEDIA AND EQUIPMENT

Alongside competitive results, Vietnamese billiards is undergoing a clear commercialisation process. Domestic sponsors, from beverage brands to real estate and technology companies, are increasingly interested in attaching their names to tournaments and to the image of leading players.

Media coverage has also changed qualitatively. Major matches are streamed live on digital platforms, letting audiences follow from anywhere instead of depending on traditional television. This significantly expands the viewer base and creates more room for sponsorship.

On the equipment side, tables, cues and balls are increasingly standardised. Major clubs invest in competition-grade equipment, enabling players to become familiar with international playing conditions without leaving Vietnam.

Commercialisation, however, also imposes a transparency requirement. As larger sums of money flow in, the need for a clear, open tournament governance system with control mechanisms becomes more urgent than ever.

1. RISKS AND GOVERNANCE

The greatest risk for billiards in general, and Vietnamese billiards in particular, comes from the relationship between competition and betting. Historically, a number of match-fixing cases have severely damaged the credibility of the sport in several countries. This is why international governing bodies regularly issue strict integrity regulations.

For Vietnam, maintaining a clean competitive environment is a prerequisite for protecting the gains already achieved. Tournaments need monitoring mechanisms, complaint-handling procedures and clear sanctions. Equally important is educating young players about competitive ethics.

Another systemic risk is over-reliance on a few stars. When the sport's image is too tightly bound to a handful of individuals, their retirement or decline in form can cause public attention to fall away quickly. Building a compelling next generation is the most effective preventive measure.

1. COMMUNITY, AUDIENCES AND SOCIAL REACH

The strength of Vietnamese billiards lies not only in its professional players but also in its community of participants and fans. Online forums, social media groups and streaming channels dedicated to billiards attract substantial followings, particularly when major tournaments feature Vietnamese players.

When a final features two Vietnamese players, interest spikes. This is a positive media effect, but it also imposes requirements on event organisation, information delivery and the management of public expectations.

From a social perspective, billiards serves as an important community space in many localities. A billiards club is not only a place to play sport but also a place to socialise, learn and build relationships. This social value is often underrated in purely results-based analysis, yet it is the foundation that sustains the sport's long-term vitality.

1. OUTLOOK

Looking ahead, Vietnamese billiards stands before an opportunity larger than ever. With a broad grassroots base, a generation of players at their peak, an increasingly complete tournament system and strong media interest, the sport is well placed to maintain its regional powerhouse status and consolidate its position among the world's leaders in carom 3-cushion.

But opportunity always comes with demands. To turn potential into durable achievement, Vietnamese billiards must address three sets of issues simultaneously: standardising youth development, building transparent governance mechanisms, and broadening the economic base for players outside the leading group. None of these solutions is easy, but the history of this sport shows that major advances often begin with seemingly small changes at the grassroots level.

The milestone in Ankara in September 2026 is a bright mark on a journey already travelled. The question for the next stage is no longer whether Vietnam can win a world title, but how many world titles Vietnam can win, and over how many consecutive years. That is a difficult question, but it is also a question that, two decades ago, nobody imagined would ever be asked.