Why Does Vietnam Excel at Xiangqi?
Vietnam holds a singular place in the Xiangqi world. Known locally as Cờ Tướng, the game of Chinese Chess has been deeply embedded in Vietnamese popular culture for centuries, a legacy of the millennia-long exchanges between the two civilizations. Today, Vietnam is regarded as the world's second Xiangqi nation behind China, with a density of licensed players per capita that sometimes exceeds even that of its vast northern neighbor. In Hanoi's parks, on Hồ Chí Minh City's sidewalks, in provincial cafés, you'll find amateurs locked in heated games at any hour of the day. This massive popularity feeds an impressive talent pool and explains why Vietnamese players regularly rank among the world's best on the international stage.
Who Is Lai Ly Huynh, the 2025 World Champion?
Lại Lý Huỳnh (often transliterated as Lai Ly Huynh) is the most celebrated Vietnamese player of his generation — and since 2025, the Xiangqi world champion. In Shanghai, he defeated Yin Sheng in the final of the World Xiangqi Championship, becoming the first non-Chinese player ever to win the men's standard world title and ending an 18-edition Chinese winning streak. The victory sent shockwaves through the Xiangqi community worldwide. Beyond this historic win, his career had already been remarkable: multiple Vietnamese national champion, regular finalist on the international circuit, consistently one of the top-ranked players outside China. His style is characterized by a razor-sharp tactical approach, excellent command of open positions, and remarkable endurance in long games. His 2025 title is the culmination of two decades of relentless work and perfectly illustrates the qualitative leap made by the Vietnamese school, now proven capable of beating the best China has to offer at its own game. To understand the full context, see the history of the World Xiangqi Championship.
Nguyen Vu Quan and the Generation of Champions
Nguyễn Vũ Quân (Nguyen Vu Quan) is the other major name in modern Cờ Tướng. A Vietnamese champion and acclaimed international competitor, he represents a more strategic and patient approach, contrasting at times with Lai Ly Huynh's direct style. Alongside these two figures, players like Trương A Minh (Truong A Minh) and Nguyễn Thành Bảo (Nguyen Thanh Bao) have also carried Vietnam's banner at regional and world competitions, forming a national team capable of seriously rivaling Chinese delegations. This depth at the top is one of the Vietnamese school's strengths: it isn't a single isolated champion shining bright, but an entire squad maintaining an international level over many years. The country consistently produces new talent through an active training system.
How Is Xiangqi Organized in Vietnam?
Vietnamese Xiangqi organization rests on an active national federation that structures competitions at every level. The two major poles of Cờ Tướng are Hồ Chí Minh City (formerly Saigon) and Hanoi, each hosting hotly contested regional championships. These competitions serve as a springboard toward the national selections and feed a dense calendar of open and closed tournaments. The federation also oversees youth training, with schools and clubs spotting talents from early childhood. Vietnamese media regularly cover major games, helping sustain the game's popularity with the general public. This solid infrastructure, similar to the one described in our article on the World Xiangqi Federation, partly explains the consistency of Vietnamese results on the international scene.
Why Do Vietnamese Players Go to China?
A striking phenomenon of recent years is the migration of several Vietnamese players into Chinese professional leagues, most notably the prestigious Jia A League (the equivalent of China's top team division). For a Vietnamese grandmaster, joining a Chinese team is both a sporting recognition and an economic opportunity: contracts are more lucrative, and daily training against the best Chinese players accelerates growth dramatically. Lai Ly Huynh, among others, has followed this path. This exchange flow enriches both schools mutually: the Vietnamese import their aggressive tactical styles, while absorbing the deep strategic patience of Chinese tradition. It's a form of Cờ Tướng globalization that benefits the entire Asian professional circuit, and it echoes the structural role of the Asian Games in spreading the game.
Is There a 'Vietnamese' Style in Xiangqi?
If you ask commentators and coaches, many agree that the best Vietnamese players share a certain signature. The Vietnamese style is often described as tactically aggressive, fond of complications, willing to sacrifice material to crack open the opponent's wing, and particularly comfortable in open positions where concrete calculation outweighs abstract positional considerations. This tendency sometimes contrasts with the classical Chinese approach, which leans toward strategic patience and precise endgame finishing. Of course, these are generalizations: every player has their own style, and the best — like Hu Ronghua on the Chinese side or Lai Ly Huynh on the Vietnamese side — transcend such labels. But it's undeniable that Vietnamese fans love spectacular games, and that this attacking culture shapes young players from their very first club lessons.
Historic China–Vietnam Confrontations — and the 2025 Turning Point
At the World Championships, the encounters between the Chinese and Vietnamese delegations have long been the marquee event. For decades, China dominated without contest, sweeping nearly all the gold medals. Since the early 2010s, Vietnam had been closing the gap steadily — and in 2025, the gap was closed entirely. Lại Lý Huỳnh's victory at the 2025 World Championship in Shanghai, over Chinese player Yin Sheng, made history: it was the first time in the championship's 19-edition history that a non-Chinese player had won the men's title. The win was celebrated as a national event in Vietnam, with coverage across mainstream media and social networks. This healthy and respectful rivalry has now entered a new chapter: China no longer holds a monopoly on the top step of the podium. With figures like Wang Tianyi on the Chinese side (before his suspension) and Lai Ly Huynh leading Vietnam, this is one of the finest sporting stories in modern mind sports.
How to Follow and Learn from Vietnamese Cờ Tướng
For Xiangqi enthusiasts, following the Vietnamese scene has become highly accessible thanks to the internet. Numerous Vietnamese YouTube channels broadcast commentated games from the country's grandmasters, with remarkable analytical quality. The federation's websites publish national tournament results. To study the games, you can replay them on Xiangqi One and explore variations with an analysis engine. An effective approach is to pick a grandmaster like Lai Ly Huynh, replay his games chronologically, and try to guess his moves in critical positions. This practice rapidly sharpens your tactical sense. To discover other actors of the world scene, browse the Community category, or dive into the portraits of famous Xiangqi players throughout history.
