DA NAN CITY - The world's top women's players in UMB, the world federation, is losing another great talent to the PBA. 25-year-old Vietnamese Yén Nhi Hoang Nguyen, who was third at the last women's World championship, is leaving for the Korean professional federation, the LPBA for women. This year, Nguyen was on the World Championship podium in Blois, France, with Charlotte Sörensen, the world champion, Therese Klompenhouwer and Karina Jetten.
Yén Nhi Hoang Nguyen, as her full name is, becomes the first Vietnamese player on the professional circuit. Most of the players in the women's circuit are Koreans, joined by about five Japanese ladies, Cambodian Sruong Pheavy and American Olivia Lee. The last PBA women's tournament started with 116 players of whom 112 were Koreans.
In the LPBA tour are playing three former world champions now: Orie Hida and Natsumi Higashiuchi from Japan and Shin-young Lee from South Korea, who claimed the world title two years ago. The big prizes haven’t been won yet by these UMB champions. Most successful in the PBA are Ga-young Kim, Sruong Pheavy and Se-yeon Kim.
Yén Nhi Hoang Nguyen, who recently opened a billiard hall in Da Nan city a 1-hour flight from Ho Chi Minh, is a mother of a three-year-old daughter Sunny. She started her billiards career when she was 10 with pool billiards and switched only to three-cushion three years ago. Nguyen surprised this year with her podium finish at the World championship in Blois, where she was eliminated in the semi-finals by later world champion Charlotte Sörensen from Denmark. With that podium finish earned Nguyen 4,000 euros.
The Vietnamese lady commented on her move to PBA: ,,The Vietnamese federation did not pay anything for me, even not for my costs at the World Championship. I have to pay everything myself.''
Yé2n Nhi Nguyen (on top second left) opened a billiard centre in Vietnam
Korean lady Ga-young Kim is the most successful in the LPBA tour