Despite an earlier victory against
, the pride of Việt Nam has now been eliminated from the
2026 Mid-Season Invitational following a 0-3 defeat to
. A valiant effort was not enough for
to overcome the North American representatives, ending their run in Daejeon just short of the top four. The team will now have to put the result behind them and prepare for the upcoming
Esports World Cup in Paris, where they are set to face Sentinels, Gen.G, and Karmine Corp starting July 15.
In an exclusive interview with
Sheep Esports, Team Secret Whales' toplaner
reflected on his team's elimination and the progress they made throughout the tournament. He also discussed the rise of Vietnamese
League of Legends, the current state of the
LCP, and shared a message with the fans.
Looking back at MSI, how do you feel about your run, and what do you want to improve going forward?
Nguyễn "Pun" Đăng Khoa: “I feel both happy and sad. We’re happy because we beat TES, but we’ll also obviously have regrets about being eliminated, as we were thinking we could beat LYON.
This is our third international event together, and I feel like the most important thing is that we are still improving every day with each match. If we want to have better results next time, we need to work on our fundamentals and fix the mistakes we were making in our losses.
What areas do you personally, and the team as a whole, need to improve?
Pun: The main thing I need to work on is my champion pool. My team and I need to work on making sure we can play the best meta champions and adapt to more standard picks.
Do you think playing off-meta picks can still be an advantage?
Pun: Yes, I believe we really surprised Top Esports, for example. In my case, I was also really confident playing those champions—my Sett and Volibear—so it was even better.
What does representing Việt Nam on the international stage mean to you?
Pun: To me, it represents a source of pressure, but also a lot of pride. When we play at tournaments like MSI, not only are we carrying the hopes of Việt Nam, but also the entire LCP region.
Do you think there's a future where the LCP can compete with other regions more consistently?
Pun: That’s the goal. I believe we have what it takes to catch up with the LCK and LPL, but we’re not quite there yet. We have to work harder.
What will be the key to closing that gap?
Pun: There are a lot of aspects. The biggest gap isn't in individual skill. It's our preparation before matches. The LCK and LPL do that much better than us. Mechanics are important, but our macro and communication also need to improve, so everything becomes smoother.
Do you think coaching is the biggest difference in that preparation? Has having Chen "WarHorse" Ju-Chih helped bridge that gap?
Pun: I think WarHorse and Trần "Ciel" Tiến Thịnh are helping us a lot, but we just need to communicate more and pay attention to every little detail, so everything becomes smoother.
Do you have a message for your fans?
Pun: I want to say thank you to all those who supported us throughout the tournament. We’ll try our best to do better in the next one. Hopefully we can get more wins at EWC and learn more from other international teams as well.”
