Whenever Starcraft is mentioned, Korea is the first country that comes to mind. Likewise, most tend to associate Warcraft 3 (and perhaps DOTA) with China. In the case of FIFA, Vietnam naturally comes to mind. The country is home to some of the most formidable players in the region – L2vn, TKKS and Nick, to name a few. Having proved their worth over the past year in several notable regional tournaments, these players attest to the fact that Vietnam is not to be messed with on the virtual soccer pitch.

We decided to interview Trung Hieu “L2vn” To and Minh Khoi “TKKS” Tran, two current Asian champions, to gain a deeper understanding of the Vietnamese FIFA scene.

Could you introduce yourselves briefly for the benefit of RGN readers who might not be familiar with you?
Trung Hieu: Hello RGN readers, my name is To Trung Hieu, 24. I’m a fulltime officer of Bien Hoa Science and Technology Department and part-time gamer in the FIFA team, Tripple-H (3H).  

Minh Khoi: Hi there, I’m Tran Minh Khoi, 18 years old. I’m living in Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam, and playing FIFA with the team 4EVE.

How old were you when you first started playing competitive FIFA seriously?
Trung Hieu: I’ve practised FIFA seriously since 2007, when I was 21.

Minh Khoi: I started playing FIFA in 2005. I played casually till 2008, when I decided to buy a gamepad from my teammate. It was then that I I decided to “go pro” in the FIFA gaming scene.

What do you think about Vietnamese FIFA community and how do you think it compares to the scenes in Europe other South-east Asian countries?
Trung Hieu: I think Vietnamese gamers have fairy good potential – maybe enough to stay in Asia’s top 3. However, I do feel that our skill level is a far cry from that of the European gamers. They have regular tournaments and good internet connection, allowing them to practice frequently with each other. In my opinion, FIFA gamers from Germany, Romania, Hungary, Russia and Poturgal are especially skilled.

Minh Khoi: I felt that the Vietnamese FIFA community was growing quickly, but eventually died out thanks to the demanding system requirements of the FIFA series, which turned many players with lower-end systems away. There are many players for FIFA Online 2, but most only play for fun.

In South East Asia, I think Vietnamese and Malaysian players are competing for the 1st position, but neither can compare to the European players. In Asia, gamers from Malaysia, China, Korea, Iran and Vietname are the best.
 

What was the first competition that you took part in and what was your ranking in the event?
Trung Hieu: For me, that would be the Vietnam World Cyber Games 2007. I clinched the runner-up position after going down against the previous champion.
Minh Khoi: It’s FIFA Vietnam 1st league which was hosted in Ho Chi Minh city, and I was defeated in group stage with only 1 winning game.

 
How did your family and friends react when they found out that you are into competitive gaming?
Trung Hieu: They definitely didn’t stop me from doing it, because I still manage my work and studies well. I’d say that they are fine with it.

Minh Khoi: To be honest, they vehemently opposed it at first because they were worried that gaming would affect my studies badly. But after I started winning some tournaments, they changed their minds.

What is your favorite FIFA version? Why?

Trung Hieu: Hmm, that would have to be FIFA09. It was a quite a balanced version that allowed for many interesting formations and tactics.   

Minh Khoi: FIFA08 – no question about that!

What do you feel are the pros and cons of taking up pro gaming?
Trung Hieu: Well, the best part about pro gaming, for me, is being given the chance to win major tournaments with huge prize pools. However, training for these tournaments is very time consuming, leaving me little time to find a girlfriend, hahaha.

Minh Khoi: Pro-gaming has taught me a lot about mental composure and control, especially when playing in high-pressure tournament matches, where all you can think about is getting that championship title!

"On the flip side, pro-gaming takes up SO much time!"

Could you tell us a little about the World Cyber Games Asian Championship and One Asia Cup? Who was your toughest opponent in the tournament?
Trung Hieu: World Cyber Games Asian Championship was the most successful tournament of my eSports career. I practiced very hard with my teammate from 3H in Vietnam in order to prepare myself for the competition.

My toughest opponent was humn, a player from India. He was consistently leading me, but thanks to my friends in Singapore, who cheered so loudly for me, I managed to clinch one of the last and most crucial possessions and won myself the final game.

Minh Khoi: In the One Asia Cup, my toughest opponent was Winds|Vin from Malaysia. Luckily for me, I managed to draw him 2-2 in the group stage after being lead 2-0 before. But the most interesting match was the semi-final game between me one of the Thai players. It was extremely close, but I eventually emerged victorious after grueling penalty shootout.
 

What are your plans in the new year of 2010?
Trung Hieu: I hope there will be more eSports tournaments in Vietnam. I am still training hard and playing with my team, 3H. But, more importantly, the first thing on my to-do list this new year is to get a girlfriend! Hahahah.

Minh Khoi: I am to secure a fully sponsored entry to the World Cyber Games Grand Finals in USA, and to successfully defend my One Asia Cup champion title. I will also become a freshmen in university this year – I hope to do well there too!
 

Thank you guys for the interview, best wishes for you in 2010!

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