Coach Nguyen Tuan Kiet and the Vietnamese women's volleyball team are training in Vinh Long - Photo: DUC KHUE
"It is important to emphasize that this year's goal is to strive for a gold medal. The whole team will do their best, but whether they can do it or not depends on many factors," said Mr. Nguyen Tuan Kiet, head coach of the Vietnamese women's volleyball team.
Practice hard
Immediately after the 2025 National Women's Volleyball Championship ended at the end of October, the Vietnamese women's volleyball team immediately entered a long-term training period. At that time, Coach Nguyen Tuan Kiet announced the list of 20 athletes.
Bich Tuyen is not on this list due to injury. In addition, two athletes competing in Japan, Thanh Thuy and Bich Thuy, are also absent. Instead, in addition to the familiar names, Coach Nguyen Tuan Kiet has added no less than 5 names from the Vietnam U21 team.
Phase 1 of the training trip took place in Quang Ninh , where the athletes trained their physical strength. Then, phase 2 began on November 15 in Vinh Long with the whole team entering tactical training.
During this period, the Vietnamese women's team will have a number of friendly matches with VTV Binh Dien Long An and Vinh Long youth men's team. Through these matches, the coaching staff will review and evaluate the performance of each player to select the list for the SEA Games.
"After training in Quang Ninh and now Vinh Long, the athletes have shown their efforts and hard work in the training sessions. The whole team always shows enthusiasm and high spirit. From now until the SEA Games, there are about 2 weeks left, I hope you will perfect your technical skills," Coach Nguyen Tuan Kiet shared.
One of the problems that Mr. Kiet admitted was that the passing and defense were not good. He said he was trying to change the mindset and thinking, helping the athletes perfect the back row techniques to organize the game.
In addition, the main striker position is also giving him a headache. Currently, besides captain Thanh Thuy, there are not many athletes who show stability.
Thailand is still strong
The goal of winning the SEA Games gold medal is not a recent one, but was announced by the Vietnam Volleyball Federation at the beginning of the year. This will be a challenging task, as Thailand is not only the "big sister" of the Southeast Asian region but also the host country of the SEA Games.
Coach Nguyen Tuan Kiet explained: "For many years, when coming to the SEA Games, we could only return with the best result of a silver medal. Therefore, this year the whole team set a goal of striving to win a gold medal as a motivation, something new for the coaching staff as well as the athletes to have the highest determination."
At the SEA V.League in August, a tournament for four strong teams in Southeast Asia, the Vietnamese women's volleyball team created a stir by defeating Thailand and winning the championship in the second stage. That was the first time in history that Thailand - the "big sister" of the region - could not reach the highest podium in this playground.
In terms of scale and reputation, SEA V.League is still inferior to SEA Games. But the victory that day is certainly a great motivation for the Vietnamese women's volleyball team. But to reproduce that result requires many factors.
Coach Nguyen Tuan Kiet admitted that he currently does not have the best squad like in the SEA V.League. In addition, after that "shocking" defeat, Thailand will be determined to get revenge by taking advantage of home field and using the best players.
But in return, the Vietnamese women's volleyball team has a good generation. If they can release the pressure and play well, the Vietnamese girls can make a surprise.
On December 8, the Vietnamese women's volleyball team went to Thailand.
Currently, the Vietnamese women's volleyball team will continue to practice in Vinh Long. On December 8, the whole team will leave Ho Chi Minh City for Bangkok (Thailand) to participate in the SEA Games. On December 10, the team will have their opening match at Huamark Stadium - the venue that hosted the 2025 Women's Volleyball World Championship in August and September.
Meanwhile, two stars currently playing in Japan, Thanh Thuy and Bich Thuy, are expected to join the team as early as December 2.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/bong-chuyen-nu-viet-nam-huong-den-hcv-sea-games-20251127101220418.htm
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