Vietnamese player achieves historic victory at Asian championship

Vietnamese billiards continued to leave a powerful impression at the 2026 Asian Carom Championships when Nguyen Duc Yen Sinh claimed the women's 3-cushion championship. The 22-year-old's triumph helped complete a dazzling tournament for the host nation, Vietnam, which saw numerous remarkable results.

On the closing dayof the 2026 Asian Billiards Championshipheld in Ho Chi Minh City, Yen Sinh helped Vietnamese women's carom billiards have a continental champion for the first time.

Entering the knockout stage as the only Vietnamese representative in the quarterfinals, Yen Sinh continuously surprised a series of strong Korean players.

After defeating Baek Ga In in the group stage, the female player from Ho Chi Minh City caused a big sensation by beating defending champion Heo Chae Won in the semifinals.

In this match, the player born in 2004 showed extremely impressive form with many quality series, notably a 10-point run that helped her lead 18-1 after the first set.

In the second set, the Vietnamese player continued her dominant performance with a 5-point series, winning convincingly 30-12 in just 22 innings, thus securing a spot in the final.

Yen Sinh's opponent in the final was Lee Yu Na, a Korean player who had just defeated world No. 2 Kim Ha Eun in the other semifinal. Although rated lower in experience,Yen Sinhstill entered the match with full confidence under the enthusiastic support of the home crowd.

The 22-year-old female player scored consistently and accurately to build a 15-5 lead after the first set. In the second set, Lee Yu Na mounted a strong comeback with a 6-point series to cut the deficit to 18-24. However, Yen Sinh kept her composure at the decisive moment, winning the overall match 30-19 after 35 innings, officially becoming the Asian champion.

This title marks a great step forward for Vietnamese women's billiards on the international stage, and also affirms the potential of the young generation of players.

Not only did Yen Sinh shine, but Vietnamese billiards also received good news in the 1-cushion carom event as Pham Canh Phuc defeated Mori Yoichirou (Japan) with a dominant 100-42 score in 14 innings to win his first Asian championship.

In the men's U22 3-cushion carom event, Dinh Trong Van finished as runner-up after losing 28-40 to defending champion Kim Do Hyun of South Korea. Meanwhile,Bao Phuong Vinhalso brought home the silver medal in the men's 3-cushion carom event after an impressive campaign on home soil.

With these outstanding achievements, Vietnamese billiards continues to affirm its position as one of the leading carom powers in Asia.