Esports fever grips Vietnam as fans celebrate LCK stars like idols

Vietnamese fan Remy poses with photo cards while wearing a Hanwha Life Esports jersey during a “banner project” event celebrating the seventh debut anniversary of Korean League of Legends player Park "Viper" Do-hyun in Hanoi in June. A digital billboard featuring Viper is seen in the background. Korea Times photo by Heo Kyung-joo

In a bustling cafe in Hanoi last month, more than 100 Vietnamese fans gathered to celebrate the birthday and debut anniversary of Choi Hyun-joon, also known as Doran, a professional League of Legends (LoL) player for Korean team T1.

Despite a typhoon sweeping through the city, fans in T1 jerseys packed the space, snapping photos in front of a wall filled with pictures of the player and watching a livestream of the Esports World Cup bronze medal match between T1 and European team G2.

The event, commemorating Doran’s sixth debut anniversary and 24th birthday, was entirely fan-organized — from venue rental to goods displays. The scene closely resembled K-pop fandom culture, where fans host “birthday cafes” for their favorite idols.

One month earlier, fans of another Korean LoL team, Hanwha Life Esports (HLE), gathered at a Hanoi shopping mall for a fan-organized “banner project” marking the seventh anniversary of player Park Do-hyun, known as Viper.

Giant screens displayed congratulatory messages and images every 10 minutes, prompting fans to pose with merchandise for photos.

One fan, who had driven 90 minutes from Thai Nguyen after work, said, “I never miss a match. Supporting Viper gives me energy in life.”

Fans take commemorative photos at a birthday cafe event for Korean esports team T1’s Choi "Doran" Hyun-joon in Hanoi, July 20. Korea Times photo by Heo Kyung-joo

These events illustrate how esports, especially Korea’s domestic league LCK (League of Legends Champions Korea), has become a powerful form of hallyu content in Vietnam.

As one of Southeast Asia’s fastest-growing esports markets, Vietnam’s Gen Z fans actively follow matches via livestreams, engage in vibrant Facebook fan communities, and invest significant time and money in their favorite players.

The devotion mirrors K-pop fandom practices: Fans spend hundreds of dollars on photo cards and merchandise, host themed gatherings and buy lucky charms to support their teams.

When HLE held a fan meeting in Ho Chi Minh City in June, the 2,500-seat venue sold out in just four minutes — a speed that rivals idol concert ticket sales.

The fandom reached new heights with the LCK debut of Vietnamese player Tran Bao Minh, or LazyFeel, for DRX, sparking national pride and drawing comparisons to Korea’s enthusiastic support for footballer Park Ji-sung’s entry into the English Premier League in the mid-2000s.

The boom is also reflected in viewership numbers. LCK broadcasts in five languages, including Vietnamese, and the Vietnamese YouTube channel has amassed 930,000 subscribers since its 2021 launch. The peak concurrent viewers for the Vietnamese stream of the LCK Spring Finals jumped 91 percent year-over-year, surpassing 560,000.

Hanwha Life Esports fans in Hanoi show off their player photo cards and merchandise at a shopping mall in June. Korea Times photo by Heo Kyung-joo

Some movie theaters in Vietnam now hold watch parties for key matches, with ticket prices (around 200,000 dong, or $8) exceeding those for standard films but still selling out quickly, according to local cinema staff.

For many, the esports craze has deepened their interest in Korean culture. “I started learning Hangul because I wanted to cheer for my favorite players in Korean,” said 27-year-old fan Buu Ngoc Hieu, who adopted the Korean name Hee-soo. “One day, I hope to watch a match live in Korea.”

Some fans are already doing just that. The Korea Tourism Organization is partnering with local travel agencies to offer esports-themed tours for Vietnamese visitors, including visits to LoL Park, the LCK arena in Seoul.

Despite costs of around 25 to 27 million dong ($1,330 to $1,430), the tours are proving popular among young adults, adding esports to the growing list of Korean soft power exports.

A digital billboard at CGV Hanoi promotes a screening of a League of Legends Champions Korea match in June. Korea Times photo by Heo Kyung-joo

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.