Esports icon Lee Sang-hyeok, widely known as Faker, made a highly anticipated return to Vietnam on 21/12 for a fan meeting in Hanoi, six years after his initial visit. The event, titled "The Promise Fulfilled," took place at the Vietnam Exhibition Center (VEC), drawing thousands of devoted fans. Faker, now 29, was joined by his T1 teammates: Choi Hyeon-joon (Doran), Moon Hyeon-jun (Oner), Kim Soo-hwan (Peyz), and Ryu Min-seok (Keria).

Faker's previous visit to Vietnam was in May 2019 for the Mid-Season Invitational, the first major esports event hosted in the country. At 23, he was already a star with his team, then known as SKT T1, and promised to return. This recent visit fulfilled that promise, much to the delight of his Vietnamese fanbase.

Fans gathered as Faker (in white shirt) appeared at the VPBank Presents T1 in Vietnam: The Promise Fulfilled event, held at the Vietnam Exhibition Center (VEC) in Hanoi on 21/12/2025.

Following exhibition matches against some of Vietnam's best gamers, Faker and his teammates engaged in an interactive session with fans for over one hour. Activities included learning Vietnamese phrases and a quiz on Vietnamese culture, which garnered significant enthusiasm and quickly spread across social media platforms.

Faker surprised many by being the only team member to suggest that some Vietnamese people eat pho with kimchi. "Because I saw people eating it like that in Vietnam," he explained, then gestured to the audience, indicating some had raised their hands in agreement.

The T1 members also demonstrated awareness of Vietnamese football, noting that Vietnam recently won the men's football gold medal at SEA Games 33 under the guidance of South Korean coach Kim Sang-sik. When asked about his further knowledge of Vietnamese football, Faker stated, "A Korean person who previously worked here is Mr. Park Hang-seo. From that, I know Vietnamese people are very passionate about football."

Faker wearing a conical hat while interacting with fans.

Born in Seoul, South Korea, in 1996, Lee Sang-hyeok, known as Faker, is widely considered the GOAT (greatest of all time) in League of Legends. He has secured the League of Legends world championship 6 times with T1, holding every title an esports athlete could desire, along with an annual income of approximately 6.5 million USD, or about 170 billion VND.

Faker discovered League of Legends in late 2011, turned professional in 2012, and has remained exclusively with T1 throughout his career. He is nicknamed the "Immortal Demon King" for maintaining peak performance at 29, significantly older than the average professional gamer's age of around 25. Faker affirmed that he has no plans to retire, stating, "I love the game, and I want to participate in many more matches and championships."

Between his two visits to Vietnam, Faker navigated a period of performance challenges from 2019 to 2021. He then made a strong comeback, reaching the League of Legends world finals 4 consecutive times, securing three championships between 2023 and 2025. The enduring appeal of Faker and T1 attracted approximately 20,000 attendees over the two-day event at VEC, including many individuals under 40. An event organizer representative highlighted T1 as a global symbol of League of Legends, and credited Faker with changing global perceptions of esports.

Hieu Luong