AEW's Viva Van Reflects On Making History In Vietnam

At the beginning of this year, wrestler Viva Van signed a contract with AEW, building off of numerous guest appearances for the promotion. Van was recently interviewed on "AEW Unrestricted," and the wrestler shared a story about breaking new ground in a promotion called Vietnam Pro Wrestling. After helping the promotion get set up with a ring, Van was given an opportunity to wrestle in Vietnam for the first time with ROH veteran Sumie Sakai as her opponent.

"We were the first women's match to ever main event in Vietnam, so that's history," Van said. "She was very hands-on at the beginning with helping me spread the word about VPW."

Van first learned about the promotion when she became curious as to whether or not Vietnam had a wrestling scene. After finding out about Vietnam Pro Wrestling, Van contacted the company and learned that they couldn't afford a ring, so Van set up a fundraiser and helped them buy one.

"I felt like it was my calling, like I have to help them," Van stated. "It took about a month, but we finally did it back in 2020."

It took awhile to make Van's main event happen, but her match against Sakai took place in December 2023. At the same time, AEW star Chris Jericho made a surprise visit to the Vietnam promotion with a production crew to film a documentary that has yet to be released. Van referred to the experience as "surreal," and shared her hope that the promotion is able to grow and foster a strong pro wrestling scene within Vietnam.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "AEW Unrestricted" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.