Khac Viet “proA.Se7en” Pham

Name: Khac Viet Pham
Nickname: proA.7
Date of Birth: 11th Oct, 1988
Game(s) Played: FIFA series
Year when gamer started competitive/pro gaming: 2005
Country/State: Hanoi, Vietnam
Favorite Gaming Hardware: Gamepad Xbox 360, Keyboard + mouse – Razer, Headset: Steelseries
Major Tournaments Won/Ranked In:

1st FIFA Capital Cup 2007
1st Vietnam eSports Championship Hanoi
1st VTV Cup EURO 2008
Best Asian Player Title – EA Team Dignitas FIFA08 Challenge

2nd World Cyber Games Hanoi 2007
2nd eSports Games Tournament 2008
2nd World Cyber Games Hanoi 2008
2nd eSports Ladder Season 2008

3rd Vietnam eSports Championship Vietnam
3rd Intel Core 2 Quad Tournament 2008

Can you introduce yourself to the readers who don’t know you yet?

Khac Viet: Yes, I’m Khac Viet Pham, 23 years old. I’m a 4th year student in Hanoi University of Technology and I play FIFA under proArmy Gaming.

How did you come to know of and join the Vietnamese FIFA community?

Khac Viet: I’ve always loved sports, so sports games like FIFA and NBA Live were staples in my gaming diet. In 2005, I learnt of a clan A.P which were located at a LAN shop near my home. I heard that some of them were very skilled, and so I met up with them to see where I stood. Soon after, I decided to join FIFA Vietnam.

Which FIFA versions do you like and dislike the most?

Khac Viet: Huhmm, I like FIFA07 the best because it allows me to deploy my attacking situation and multiform easily. The worst version has to be the latest one, FIFA 10; I’m really disappointed at EA Sports for making such a bad game.

What tournaments impressed you?

Khac Viet: One of them would be the World Cyber Games 2007 in Hanoi, as it was the first tournament that I earned a title in.

VESC 2007 was also memorable. I played very well but was unlucky – Trung Hieu “L2vn” To scored an equalizing goal in 90’, and I ended up losing to him after that in the penalty shootouts.

In the World Cyber Games 2008 Vietnam Grand Final, my girlfriend flew all the way from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City to cheer me on. But unfortunately for me, I have only gotten 3rd position in that tournament.

In 3rd Asian Indoor Games Vietnam qualifiers, I was the Hanoi champion. I beat the Ho Chi Minh City champion and lost only to L2vn – the Asian champion at the time.

Can you tell us about your experience with gaming, from when you started to where you are now?

Khac Viet: My parents did not allow me to play in LAN shops, so I played at home on my personal computer. Like I said before, my interest in FIFA stemmed from my love for sports. In 2005, I joined clan A.P and participated in my first tournament, the A.P Open Cup. I went home early with only 1 draw match. In both 2005 & 2006, I lost in the final qualifying rounds in the World Cyber Games Vietnam Hanoi qualifiers, missing out on both chances to join the Vietnam Grand Final.

The very first title I earned was in the 2nd World Cyber Games 2007 in Hanoi. It felt especially gratifying. In the final match, I lost to UDF|Luuking 4-5 after leading him 2-0 earlier in the game. I blamed my poor play in the Grand Finals on my weak composure.

In 2008, I was in my best form. That was the year that I clinched a few championship titles. The most memorable tournament of that year was the 3rd Asian Indoor Games, where I played in the Vietnamese International Team.

How did your family and friends react to your gaming life?

Khac Viet: I’m very lucky, they have always supported me.

And your girlfriend?

Khac Viet: Sometimes she calls to check on me when I am playing in tournaments, but aside from that, she’s fine with it. I mentioned this earlier, but in the World Cyber Games Vietnam Grand Final 2008, she flew all the way from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh city just to cheer me on.

It was interesting to note that in the World Cyber Games Vietnam 2009, you lost in quarter final round for FIFA, but your girlfriend clinched the 2nd place for Sushido. What do you think about that?

Khac Viet: Believe me, I was very proud of her!

se7en with his girlfriend

Besides gaming, do you have any other hobbies?

Khac Viet: I also love taking photographs and playing sports like basketball. Sometimes I listen to music or go out with my best friends.

What do you think about the Vietnamese eSports scene?

Khac Viet: I have seen the eSports come a long way now. There was an amazing jump from 2008 – 2009 in terms of its overall progress. However, the progress has come to a halt over the past year because of the international economic crisis. Locally, I think new gamers in Vietnam don’t have enough ambition – few aspire to go pro. I hope that there will be more tournaments in 2010 to attract young players in Vietnam to the eSports scene.

se7en (left) with L2vn (right) at the 3rd AIG

Tell us about your experience at the 3rd Asian Indoor Games. Which gamer impressed you the most?

Khac Viet: There was some initial deliberation over my eligibility to participate in the tournament. Fortunately for me, the referee and officials – after a long meeting – gave me the permission to play after concluding that each nation is allowed to send a substitute on top of its main representative (L2vn).

I found myself in group D with the players from Quatar, India and Bahrain. I knew the Iranian player from the other group would be a tough opponent, and so I intended to avoid a quarter-final match-up with him by coming up 2nd in my group (the Iranian player was 1st in his group). Unfortunately, the rules for the 3rd AIG didn’t allow draw matches (only win or lose), so I was unable to set my group ranking up like that. I played my best, topped my group, and ended up meeting the Iranian player, Sayeed Davood, in the quarter finals. I lost. Sayeed went on to beat Trung Hieu “L2vn” To in the semi-finals and ended up clinching the championship title for the tournament. If Iran players were to join the World Cyber Games Grand Final, I bet they would pull off some surprising upsets.

Iran's Sayeed Davood (left) up against Vietnam's se7en (right) at the 3rd AIG

Do you intend to involve yourself with the Vietnamese FIFA community in the future?

Khac Viet: Ahm, I’ve just retired man.

Thanks for your time!