Saigon Heat won his first champion title last season
Xuân Đăng
If you are missing your fix of basketball because of COVID-19, don’t worry. We have compiled a list of the best players since the Vietnam Basketball Association (VBA) Leagues started in 2016.
Starting next season, each team will only can be allowed one heritage player – as the league calls ethnic Vietnamese players with foreign nationality -- instead of the two as it was previously allowed.
So to whet your appetite before the new season, eventually, tips-off, here are a list of some of the best player’s to grace Việt Nam’s courts.
1/ Đinh Thanh Tâm - forward, Cần Thơ Catfish (2016-present)
The name is by now familiar to all VBA fans. Tâm Đinh, who has been playing for Cần Thơ Catfish since day one, can play in both offence and defence. With a height of 1.92m and superb long-range shooting ability, the 30 year old won one league title in 2018 and a number of personal honours like Season Heritage MVP in 2017 and Most Favourite Player of the Year and MVP last season. His versatility and ability to adapt to any style of play means Tâm has been on Catfish’s ‘protected’ list of retained players every year.
2/ Justin Young - forward, Thăng Long Warriors (2017-present)
Young joined HCM City Wings in the first season, but only made a name for himself after moving to Thăng Long Warriors in 2017. Besides his defensive skills, he is terrific at controlling the tempo of the game with his experience. He was an integral part of Warriors’ title win in 2017. He has been nominated for best defensive player of the season three times in a row.
3/ Việt Arnol – point guard, Saigon Heat (2016-2017)
He only played for Saigon Heat for two VBA seasons, but already beame famous when he played for them in the Asean Basketball League (ABL) since 2012. In his first season in the VBA, he impressed fans by scoring 17.2 points per game, including 33 three pointers in the season, and 5.8 assists per game. That year he also made it to the squad of the season.
4/ Vincent Nguyễn- point guard, HCM City Wings (2019-present)
Vincent played for Hanoi Buffaloes when he came back to Việt Nam from the Netherlands in 2017 and was traded last season to the City Wings. His contributions to both teams have been immense. Despite being only 1.8m tall, with his amazing dribbling skills and speed he makes many bigger men look clumsy on the court. He has become the leader at City Wings and led them to first place after the regular season. Last year he also won the Heritage MVP award.
5/ Dư Minh An- small forward, Saigon Heat (2018- present)
An is one of the few local players considered to be truly skilled in both offence and defence. An is always the leader of the Heat's defence, especially in big matches. He is another versatile player who can play in multiple positions like point guard, small guard or small forward. Last season he was named Local Player of the Year and also led Heat to their first VBA Championship in the play-off final against his former team, Cần Thơ Catfish. —VNS