Vietnam have entered 15 players in the 2026 3-cushion carom World Cup in Yanggu, South Korea, which runs from 2 to 8 November. Bao Phuong Vinh, Chiem Hong Thai and Tran Thanh Luc go straight into the main draw on ranking, while the country's top player Tran Quyet Chien must start in the final qualifying round, according to Thanh Nien and Bao Van Hoa.
Three seeded places
The main draw has 32 players in 8 groups of 4. Thanh Nien says each group already contains 2 or 3 seeds, with the remaining slots going to qualifiers.
Former world champion Bao Phuong Vinh, ranked 11th, is in group G and will face Egypt's Sameh Sidhom. Chiem Hong Thai (12th) is in group F with Dutch great Dick Jaspers, and Tran Thanh Luc (13th) is in group E with German seed Martin Horn. Thanh Nien notes Chiem Hong Thai's best World Cup result is runner-up in May 2026.
Chien loses his seeding
The biggest talking point is Tran Quyet Chien's absence from the seeded list. Both outlets say poor results at recent World Cup events cost him heavily in the UMB Events ranking, with Thanh Nien specifying that he has dropped out of the top 14. Chien is in group A of the final qualifying round and must come through it to reach the main draw.
For Vietnam this is a significant shift: its No 1 player faces an extra round, more pressure and less rest before the main group stage.
Starting rounds for Vietnam's 15 players, compiled by KBVN+ from both sources:
| Starting round | Players |
|---|---|
| Main draw (seeded) | Bao Phuong Vinh, Chiem Hong Thai, Tran Thanh Luc |
| Final qualifying round | Tran Quyet Chien |
| Third qualifying round | Nguyen Chi Long, Nguyen Tran Thanh Tu |
| Second qualifying round | Pham Quoc Thuan, Le Thanh Tien, Nguyen Dinh Quoc, Nguyen Hoan Tat |
| First qualifying round | Lam Han Thanh, Do Nguyen Trung Hau, Nguyen Nhu Le, Truong Huynh Quoc Dat, Pham Van Son |
A long road for the qualifiers
Beyond the seeds and Chien, 11 Vietnamese players start in the early qualifying rounds. The 5 in the first round need several straight wins to reach the main draw, where the world's best are waiting.
What comes next
The first qualifying round begins on 2 November with 5 Vietnamese players, and the event ends on 8 November. Bao Van Hoa says it is the last World Cup stop of the year, and Vietnam hope their large contingent can make an impact.