Vietnam passed the first hurdle of the Asian Games with a perfect 3-0 record. The Vietnamese national team, which previously took a set off South Korea in an evaluation match, advanced to the semifinals as the top seed in Group A in the League of Legends group stage at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, held at the Aichi Sky Expo in Japan on September 29.
Vietnam defeated its first opponent, Saudi Arabia, in about 25 minutes. They followed that by finishing their game against Malaysia in just 18 minutes and secured a sweep of all three matches by defeating the United Arab Emirates in their final game. Saudi Arabia followed in second place with a 2-1 record, while the United Arab Emirates finished the group stage at 1-2 and Malaysia at 0-3.
Before the tournament, Vietnam emphasized caution over optimism. In an interview with local media outlet Tuoi Tre on September 28, Vietnamese top laner 'Kiaya' highlighted their Group A opponents as teams rarely met in international competitions and as unpredictable variables. He stated, "We must not let our guard down," emphasizing that thorough preparation was required. Having set passing the group stage as its initial goal, Vietnam accomplished it with an undefeated record.
Vietnam's campaign this time is also fueled by past disappointments. At the Hangzhou Asian Games, they finished fourth after back-to-back losses in the semifinals and the bronze medal match. 'Kiaya', who was on that national roster, has set winning a medal as his goal once again. A player for GAM Esports, he has built international stage experience at events like MSI and the World Championship, and helped Vietnam claim a gold medal at the 2022 SEA Games.
Vietnam is no stranger to South Korean fans either. In the national team evaluation match held at the Busan Cinema Center on September 20, Vietnam lost 1-3 to South Korea, but took the opening set. They exploited openings in South Korea's setup through aggressive fights to stage a comeback, and pressured South Korea with aggressive play in Game 3 as well. Although South Korea turned the momentum around in late-game teamfights and objective battles to take the win, Vietnam proved to be a formidable threat in both sets.
'Kiaya' also expressed satisfaction with winning the first set and putting South Korea in difficult situations during the evaluation match. He explained that this experience gave the team confidence heading into the main tournament. Having completed its real-game test against South Korea, Vietnam advanced to the next stage without dropping a single game in Group A.
Vietnam's next match will be the semifinals on October 1. Qualifying as the top seed from Group A, they will play a best-of-three series against the second-place team from Group B. Chinese Taipei is considered their likely opponent.
