Valuable lesson for Vietnamese volleyball

The Vietnamese women's volleyball team learned many things in their first participation in the World Volleyball Championship, thereby better preparing for upcoming international tournaments.

Incomplete ending of Vietnam women's volleyball team

In the final match of the group stage yesterday (August 27) in Phuket (Thailand), the Vietnamese women's volleyball team lost 0-3 to an equally strong opponent, Kenya, causing a lot of disappointment for fans.

Vietnam women's volleyball team lost all 3 matches at the 2025 world championship

Photo: FIVB

In the friendly match before the world championship, the Vietnamese team defeated Kenya with a score of 4-0, so some players were somewhat subjective. In addition, the pressure to win before saying goodbye to the tournament made the Vietnamese team's hitters somewhat tense, unable to fully demonstrate their abilities. The disjointed attacking coordination between setter Lam Oanh and her teammates caused the Vietnamese team to miss many scoring opportunities. Middle blocker Tran Thi Bich Thuy and opposite setter Hoang Thi Kieu Trinh played below their ability. Even captain Thanh Thuy was given a lot of balls to attack but often missed opportunities. Vi Thi Nhu Quynh, who entered the field from the reserve position, was the most effective player with 12 points while the two main attackers Thanh Thuy and Kieu Trinh only scored 6 points.

In contrast to the Vietnamese team, the Kenyan girls played explosively, effectively utilizing the high-altitude attacks of their main player Adhiambo, scoring 19 points. The Kenyan team also showed careful preparation, understanding the strengths and weaknesses of the Vietnamese team to exploit. In particular, the Kenyan defense was extremely effective, neutralizing the main attackers of the Vietnamese team, Thanh Thuy and Bich Thuy.

Being restrained by Kenya's defense, Coach Tuan Kiet regrets: 'The whole team was not themselves'

Lessons learned

The incomplete farewell to the tournament when "losing completely" to the Kenyan team turned out to be good, because it helped the Vietnamese women's volleyball team adjust and gain experience. Previously, the Vietnamese team received many compliments after the opening match when they lost 1-3 but had an impressive win against the Polish team (ranked 3rd in the world). In the second match against the German team (ranked 11th in the world), the Vietnamese team lost 0-3 but some individuals, including Thanh Thuy, left their mark with their effective scoring ability.

Coach Nguyen Tuan Kiet said that each match has been a valuable lesson for the Vietnamese women's volleyball team. The players have devoted themselves and tried their best, but the result in the final match was not as expected. "From the beginning, we determined that participating in the world championship with many strong teams was an opportunity to learn and practice. From now until the end of the year, the Vietnamese women's team will focus on the most important goal of competing for the gold medal at the 33rd SEA Games in Thailand this December."

With what they showed at the World Cup, the coaches assessed that the Vietnamese team needs to improve their defense, take the first step, and organize more diverse attacks to avoid being predicted by their opponents. In addition, the team needs to find someone capable of replacing Nguyen Thi Bich Tuyen to increase the strength of the attack. Many weaknesses were exposed after the loss to Kenya and the coaching staff of the Vietnamese team must address them in the coming time to improve, otherwise it will be difficult to repeat the victory over rival Thailand.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/bai-hoc-quy-cho-bong-chuyen-viet-nam-185250827235522893.htm