That moment marked the beginning of a long journey spanning decades for this game, becoming a legend on the other side of the globe, far beyond the imagination of its creators or anyone who ever dreamed of it.
Introduction to Vietnam
Age of Empires (AoE) is a real-time strategy (RTS) computer game where players build and manage a civilization from ancient times through various historical periods. Players must develop their economy, military, and strategies to defeat their opponents. When AoE was released, it quickly created a “fever” among video game enthusiasts worldwide. Although Vietnam at that time was still somewhat backward in information technology, AoE successfully made its way into the country and was colloquially known as “Empire.”
In LAN shops (the predecessors of Internet cafes), in cramped, noisy spaces always tinged with the smell of tobacco, “Empire” matches began to take form and gradually became a specialty that people didn’t even notice. Even as the Internet developed further, bringing with it many new game titles, “Empire” maintained its position and became a “national game” for the generation of students, and even won the hearts of middle-aged folks in the late 90s and early 2000s. Broadly speaking, at that time, “Empire” truly became the most popular game, not just in Vietnam, but also in China and around the world.
Irresistible Appeal
It is not difficult to understand the allure that AoE generates. In fact, over nearly 3 decades, many newspapers, numerous writers, and a community of thousands of fans have dedicated countless pages to analyze this phenomenon. Among the standout factors are its early inception, offering novelty; friendly and relatable game graphics; gameplay that closely mirrors reality (simulating the historical development of mankind through the Stone Age, Tool Age, Bronze Age, and Iron Age along with various conquests), while providing enough challenge for players, requiring a harmonious combination of skills and strategic thinking. Furthermore, the game does not require high computer specifications and is very easy to install, making it accessible to everyone. Additionally, AoE is a strategy game that is competitive but can also be played with teammates, consistently creating excitement for players and stimulating the production of the happiness hormone “dopamine” during competitions. Finally, it is worth mentioning that the community of players actively explores and creates different play styles from what is available. The emergence of the “No City 3 Life” rule has helped make matches incredibly diverse, fast-paced, and suitable for gamers as well as the tastes of Vietnamese audiences.
Thus, AoE seems to have been born for the Vietnamese. And it is the passion and enthusiasm of the Vietnamese gaming community that has allowed AoE to continue to exist and thrive after nearly 30 years. As mentioned, from the early days when AoE first entered our country, players were already able to compete against each other in the confines of Internet cafes. Alongside fun matches, there were also intense challenge matches, heavily focused on winning and losing, which began the “birth” of many masters. These were the first building blocks laying the foundation of the AoE community in Vietnam.
Formation and Development of the Community
With the development of the Internet and communication, clubs and teams began to form based on the Internet cafes where they competed or by region, frequently challenging each other. Many provinces such as Hanoi, Hai Phong, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Thai Binh… became known for their vibrant movements. However, the most prominent development occurred in Hanoi, home to many large universities. Nicknames like Thanh Tam, sathudaucomu, Germany, Romance, Magician, Linda, Longthieugia… gradually became well-known. Teams such as Tran Xuan Soan, Cau Khi, Tam Giac Bach Khoa, To Hieu, Duong Quang Ham, Chuy Long, Song Long,… once made a significant impact. By around 2007-2009, numerous tournaments were organized, attracting a great deal of audience interest, including AoE Northern Region, Solo Assyrian Championship – The First R Dance, etc.
By 2010, AoE Vietnam began its professional development with the flagship named GameTV, competing with clans like Truong Phat, Thai Binh, Indoorgame,… At that time, AoE also had to compete with countless online games flooding into Vietnam. Yet, thanks to the live streaming of matches, the community opened a truly glorious path. Audiences nationwide could follow tournaments, watching top players showcase their superior skills. As a result, AoE continued to develop further. The period from 2011 to 2017 can be said to be the most prosperous era for AoE in Vietnam with countless tournaments of all sizes, alongside the emergence of a multitude of new talented players like ChipBoy, Vanelove, Gunny, BiBi, HeHe, Hong Anh,… and especially Chim Se Di Nang.
Also in the aforementioned period, one cannot overlook a historic event that created a turning point for the AoE community: the AoE Vietnam-China and China-Vietnam tournaments. Kicking off was the AoE China-Vietnam tournament in Guangzhou in October 2011 when the AoE Vietnam team first competed abroad against top players from China. Following this was the AoE Vietnam-China GameTV Lenovo Cup in December 2011 with the participation of “Sixteen Masters from China” coming to Vietnam for matches. The success of the tournaments in 2011 laid the foundation for the AoE communities of both Vietnam and China to interact and organize more tournaments in the future.
Notably, in 2024, the AoE Vietnam-China tournament organized by Thien Khoi Esports (Thien Khoi Group) recorded a record for the most magnificent tournament with a total prize pool and image rights amounting to over 1 billion VND. Compared to tournaments of a humanitarian nature like the AoE Be Yeu Cup (in tribute to the legend Beyeu who laid the foundation for live streaming matches) or traditional tournaments like Hanoi Open, AoE Northern Region, Thai Binh Open,… the AoE Vietnam-China or China-Vietnam truly represents a large-scale arena with the mission of connecting the entire AoE gaming community. There, players always compete with the spirit of representing their flags, while fans place their trust and hopes in witnessing local players shine, and of course, they yearn to watch high-level, captivating, and emotional matches.
AoE – The Immortal Legend
To this day, AoE is approaching the 30-year milestone. Over nearly 3 decades of its creation, formation, and development, the AoE community in Vietnam has gone through countless difficulties, faced many upheavals and challenges, yet it remains the oldest gaming community deserving the utmost respect. All members of the AoE community in Vietnam, from players, clans to fans have worked together to satisfy their passion and most importantly, to preserve and develop the movement, showing the world that while Americans can be proud to have created AoE as a wonderful game, Vietnam is incredibly proud to have elevated this game to become an immortal legend.