Vietnam hosts inaugural SEA Esports Nations Cup

The tournament is held at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center (SECC) on Friday and Saturday as part of the Vietnam GameVerse 2026 festival, with Vietnam becoming the first country to host the event.

The Vietnam Recreational and Electronic Sports Association (VIRESA), together with domestic partners including VNGGames, is organizing and operating the tournament.

PUBG Mobile is the opening title of the competition, featuring 20 players from 10 Southeast Asian countries including Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Timor-Leste, and host Vietnam.

Each country is represented by two players competing under PUBG Mobile version 4.3 rules, replacing the traditional four-player team format used in previous tournaments.

Vietnam is represented by Phan Van Dong, known by his gaming name Levis8, and Nguyen Anh Quan, known as Win.

Dong became the youngest Vietnamese esports athlete to win a gold medal at the 31st Southeast Asian Games, held in Vietnam in 2022, and previously won major regional PUBG Mobile titles with D'Xavier.

Quan recently secured his third national championship title with Team Flash and was named best player at the 2026 PMPL VN Spring finals.

Organizers said the tournament marked a new stage for Southeast Asian esports development, aimed at building a more unified and structured regional ecosystem and strengthening the region's presence in international esports.

Vietnam's upcoming 2026 PMPL VN stages will also contribute to the selection of players for the country's esports team at the 2026 Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan.