Vietnam eSports team competes successfully at SEA Games 31. (Photo: CELLPHONES)
Professionalization and international footprint
VIRESA plays a role in building the competition system, technical regulations, rules, training personnel, and representing Vietnam in international cooperation activities.
From 2020 to present, VIRESA has continuously improved its operating framework: regulations issuing for popular games such as Mobile Legends with: Bang Bang, League of Legends, Audition PC, PUBG Mobile...; at the same time organizing a series of tournaments from local to national level.
VIRESA considers 2025 to be a “pivotal year” when Vietnam participates in many important international sporting events: SEA Games 33; World Esports Games qualifying round - the predecessor of Olympic eSports held in Saudi Arabia in 2027.
This is a strategic turning point, not only demonstrating competitive ability but also an opportunity for Vietnamese eSports to position its brand on the world map.
In that context, human resource training cooperation programs are being promoted, notably the memorandums of understanding with KeSPA (Korea), FPT Polytechnic, and universities on developing physical infrastructure - digital physical sports with the combination of eSports (digital sports) and physical sports (physical sports) deployed from 2024 to integrate the new trend of world eSports.
Vietnam officially entered the international eSports playground from SEA Games 30 and immediately achieved success.
At the 31st SEA Games at home, the Vietnamese teams won a total of 4 Gold Medals in the categories of Mobile Legends, Free Fire, PUBG Mobile and Lien Quan Mobile.
A year later, at the 32nd SEA Games in Cambodia, Vietnam continued to impress with a Gold Medal in League of Legends and a Silver Medal in Wild Rift.
Not only in Southeast Asia, Vietnamese athletes have also made their mark on the continental arena. At the 2024 Asian eSports Games, the Arena of Valor team won the Silver Medal, while the Street Fighter 6 players also brought home the Bronze Medal - the highest achievement ever for Vietnam's individual fighting sport.
Professional clubs such as GAM Esports, Saigon Buffalo, Team Flash, Vikings eSports... are building international brands.
In particular, the Vietnam Championship Series (VCS) tournament system has become a key playground, helping Vietnamese players compete at the Mid-Season Invitational (MSI) and the League of Legends world finals.
Names like Levi, Slayder, Artifact... are no longer unfamiliar to the international eSports community. Many players have gone abroad to compete in tournaments in Korea, Taiwan (China), Thailand... showing the international community's recognition of their expertise.
Market with great potential
According to VIRESA, Vietnam has more than 28.2 million eSports players; of which, about 15.7% are regular tournament viewers from platforms such as Facebook Gaming, YouTube, TikTok. This is an impressive number, putting Vietnam in the Top countries with the largest eSports player community in Southeast Asia, just behind Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand.
According to Mr. Le Quang Tu Do, Director of the Department of Radio, Television and Electronic Information (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism), by the end of 2024, the domestic game industry's revenue will reach VND 13,663 billion (about USD 525 million), ranking 5th globally with a growth rate 2.5 times higher than the world and an increase of 8.8% compared to 2023.
In particular, revenue from international users for Vietnamese game developers reached more than 2,000 billion VND. With a young, dynamic and technology-friendly player force, eSports is becoming a channel to educate soft skills, develop reflexive thinking, tactics and teamwork - qualities that are increasingly necessary in modern society.
In the vision to 2030, VIRESA identifies 3 development pillars: Organizing a system of international standard national tournaments (including national championships, regional qualifiers, connecting with student tournaments and groundswell tournaments to create a continuous competitive ecosystem); developing human resources and eSports infrastructure (coordinating with FPT, universities, foreign organizations to train coaches, commentators, referees and technicians); organizing physical events (combining eSports competitions with tourism, music, entertainment... towards a multi-platform sports model).
VIRESA also aims to host international tournaments; including the proposal to organize the annual “Asian Invitational” tournament, bringing together 8 to 12 Asian countries to compete in Vietnam. If successful, this will be a stepping stone for Vietnam to welcome the future eSports Olympics.
An important highlight is the support from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Vietnam Sports Administration in recognizing eSports as a medal sport at the Games.
Many localities have added eSports to school sports programs and national sports festivals.
The support of businesses is also a driving force for the industry. Some technology corporations have built arenas, organized copyrighted tournaments, and sponsored players to participate in international competitions. This not only contributes to improving the quality of competition but also promotes Vietnam's creative economy.
Currently, VIRESA and publishers have organized eSports in the 31st and 32nd SEA Games entirely from the socialized budget (about 50 to 70 billion VND/session).
With an outstanding number of players, a professional tournament system, well-trained staff and clear direction, Vietnam can completely become an eSports powerhouse in Asia in the near future.
VIRESA, with a central role, is building an eSports ecosystem with Vietnamese identity, modern, sustainable and integrated. In the digital age, this is not only a trend but also a good strategy to affirm the position of Vietnamese eSports on the world map.
Source: https://bvhttdl.gov.vn/the-thao-dien-tu-viet-nam-no-luc-vuon-ra-quoc-te-20250707105219342.htm
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