A few days ago, the Vietnamese League of Legends community was abuzz when Đặng “TLong” Thành Long – a Vietnamese League of Legends player – joined the Fredit BRION Challengers team, the youth team of BRO competing in the LCK CL. For those who don’t know, LCK CL is considered the second tier tournament in the Korean region. This is also a place for young players to showcase their skills before becoming a member of the main team or being transferred to other teams or regions.
Thus, in addition to regions like LCS and LPL, the LCK – a region famous for its strict limitations on importing foreign players – has also welcomed Vietnamese talent. TLong becomes the first Vietnamese player to have the opportunity to compete for a team in the LCK CL in Korea. The BRO’s social media page also announced this deal. Player TLong was born in 2003 and plays in the Mid Lane position.
After the announcement from BRO regarding TLong, many experts and coaches in the Vietnamese League of Legends community shared their thoughts. Coach Ren mentioned that TLong was very close to joining the main team Saigon Buffalo. However, when he learned TLong had the opportunity to go abroad, Coach Ren prioritized the young talent’s path to the international stage.
For JackieWind – the coach of GAM Esports and a participant in the “Be my BRO” project of the BRO team, he noted that this program features many young, promising players. However, he rated TLong higher than the rest.
Recently, in his livestream, caster Hoàng Luân also commented on TLong’s situation. The renowned caster in the Vietnamese Esports scene shared: “Player TLong is an opportunity for LCK to gain a clearer understanding of Vietnamese players. As long as TLong integrates well, he doesn’t need to be exceptional, just decent is enough for LCK to see VCS in a different light. TLong can be considered a significant factor in deciding whether Vietnamese players can go abroad or not.”
However, caster Hoàng Luân also emphasized that it will not be easy for TLong to prove himself, especially given the quality of LCK players is not low. But according to the caster, compared to the LPL – a region always full of talent, the chances in the LCK are still more favorable for TLong as well as for future Vietnamese players.
Thus, another promising young player from the VCS region has the chance to go abroad. And certainly, the Vietnamese League of Legends fans will be looking forward to a “new SofM” from TLong’s case, further providing opportunities for Vietnamese League of Legends to reach the international stage.