Organized by Everjoy Publishing and Everjoy Global,  Road to Essen 2025 - a national board game design competition celebrating how culture and creativity unite through game design-  marks a milestone for Vietnam’s emerging board game industry. The competition is backed by a serious investment in quality, serving as a launchpad for designers to connect with the worldwide board game community at SPIEL Essen 2025—the world’s largest board game fair, held in Germany in October 2025.

“Vietnam has creativity, passion, and original ideas,” said the program director. “Road to Essen gives our designers the opportunity and support they need to reach the world. Our mission is simple: put Vietnam on the global board game map.”

The competition attracted 148 entries and 128 eligible prototypes in the first year, from folklore-inspired stories to modern Vietnamese life, and offered a unique cultural perspective.

Randy Flynn - Creator of Cascadia, Honorable Judge of Road to Essen, commented: “The variety of gameplay was quite wonderful, and I can honestly say I learned a lot about Vietnamese culture and history.”

Road to Essen is more than a competition—it’s the start of a cultural movement. By encouraging designers to embed local stories, symbols, and heritage into their work, the initiative highlights how board games can be vehicles for cultural storytelling and international exchange.

At SPIEL Essen 2025, the Everjoy booth is more than a showcase; it’s a living reflection of Vietnamese culture. Inspired by Vietnam’s timeless heritage, our booth captures the nostalgic charm of traditional art. Our team will wear Vietnamese traditional costumes to celebrate the vibrant spirit of Vietnam.

We warmly invite publishers, distributors, media partners, and players from around the world to visit us at Hall 4, Booth 4K400, try our games, join the cultural experience, and discover the Vietnamese board game firsthand.