A few hours ago, the finals of the League of Legends event at SEA Games 31 took place with a matchup between Vietnam and the Philippines. As the country with one of the strongest League of Legends scenes in Southeast Asia, Vietnam was certainly rated higher. Many fans even believed that Vietnam would win the gold medal long before SEA Games 31 took place. Player Levi himself was also very confident when he stated that Vietnam had a 90% chance of winning the gold medal.
And Levi and his teammates did not disappoint the fans. Throughout this journey at SEA Games 31, the Vietnamese team did not lose any matches. In fact, Vietnam set several records for playtime against their opponent Laos. In the final match against the Philippines, the Vietnamese players also established a dominant position and achieved a swift victory.
The victory of the Vietnamese League of Legends team at SEA Games 31 is completely deserved. Although the journey here shows a significant gap between Vietnam and other countries in Southeast Asia, the Vietnamese players still demonstrated the highest professionalism. There were no acts of “trolling” or unusual, entertaining picks from Levi and his teammates. Especially in the final match, despite being far ahead, Levi still played seriously and focused on his work.
Another special image is that right when he was standing on the podium receiving the medal, Vietnam’s Mid Laner – Đặng “Kati” Thanh Phê could not hold back his emotions and shed tears. Kati’s tears of joy are enough to speak about the efforts and determination of the Vietnamese League of Legends players on their journey to represent the country at this SEA Games 31. Even though they were highly rated, this also created an invisible pressure for the players to perform worthy of the top contender status for the gold medal.
And surely, not only the players but also the audience were very happy for the victory of the Vietnamese League of Legends team at SEA Games 31. Not only is this SEA Games held at home, but it could also be a significant step forward for League of Legends in particular and Esports in general to be more widely recognized. From there, the community also hopes that Esports and League of Legends, in particular, will receive more attention for development in the future.