Vietnamese women's volleyball with the dream of reaching new heights

Over the past 4 months, Vietnamese fans have been living in the vibrant, exciting atmosphere that the female volleyball players bring.

The Vietnamese women's team needs to continue participating in major tournaments to improve their level - Photo: FIVB

This comes from large-scale international and continental tournaments with truly strong teams and fierce competition that the Vietnamese women's volleyball team participates in.

Memorable days

Over the past 2 years, there have been tournaments that the Vietnamese women's volleyball team has participated in to gain achievements. But there have also been many tournaments to improve their level.

With a familiar tournament like the AVC Challenge Cup (renamed the AVC Nations Cup), the Vietnamese girls are all too familiar with the championship. Although this is only a tournament for second-tier teams in Asia, no one previously thought that the Vietnamese team could win the championship for 3 consecutive years.

Also from the AVC Challenge Cup championships, the team won the right to participate in the FIVB Challenger Cup. In 2023, in the first time participating, the Vietnamese team lost in the first match and returned home early. But in 2024, the Vietnamese women's volleyball team created an earthquake with a historic bronze medal.

The Southeast Asian level tournament, SEA V.League, also witnessed the team's rising achievements. Every year, they finished second but with increasingly narrowing scores against Thailand - the region's big sister. In 2025, the Vietnamese team created a miracle when defeating Thailand to win the second round for the first time since the tournament's inception.

In addition, there are also achievements such as top 4 of the 2023 Asian Championship, top 4 of the 19th Asiad... Not only the national team, the U21 women's team also just went through the U21 World Cup with unexpected achievements.

The club level also witnessed successes when in 2024 and 2025, LPBank Ninh Binh and VTV Binh Dien Long An respectively finished second at the Asian Club Championship. It can be said that Vietnamese volleyball has gone through unforgettable years.

Facing big challenges

The high achievements of the past few years also raise the question: Does Vietnamese volleyball have the opportunity to continue to win tickets to participate in major tournaments?

It is almost certain that the AVC Nations Cup will still be a regular tournament when the opportunity to enter the group of 4 strongest teams is very clear. However, from next year, the Vietnamese team will face a big challenge with the appearance of Korea.

The Volleyball Nations League (VNL) is a more advanced version. And to participate, the position on the world rankings of the Vietnamese women's team must be at least in the top 18. Although it was once close to this position, the Vietnamese team has now dropped to 28th place.

There are three possibilities for coach Nguyen Tuan Kiet and his team to participate in the 2027 World Cup. One is that Vietnam is chosen as the host, but this is almost impossible. The other is to enter the top 3 at the 2026 Asian Championship. This also means having to rank above one of the three very strong teams: China, Japan and Thailand.

The final solution is to maintain a high position in the world rankings. According to FIVB regulations, the World Championships include 1 place for the host country and 1 place for the defending champion.

The next 15 spots are for the top 3 teams in the continental or regional championships. The final 15 spots are for the highest-ranked teams that have not yet officially qualified. In theory, this position is in the top 30 in the world.

But in fact, all the teams that qualified for this year's tournament by ranking are in the top 15.

It can be seen that regularly participating in major international tournaments is not a simple goal for Vietnamese women's volleyball.

But a domestic volleyball expert told Tuoi Tre: "Difficulty does not mean we give up. Take Thailand for example. Being able to participate in the VNL, the world championship, regularly makes them the third strongest team in Asia. They must practice a lot with strong teams to improve their level."

Don't put too much emphasis on achievements.

A timeless story in sports is the story of victory. Many people feel discouraged when their team loses, even though it is the first time they have played on a big stage and have to face superior opponents.

This is a common trend that has existed for a long time among fans. Therefore, the Vietnam Volleyball Federation and the team need to be mentally prepared to face criticism when achieving unexpected results in larger tournaments. It is extremely important not to focus on achievements but to persevere with the goal of raising the team's level.

Sharing his opinion, Mr. Thai Quang Lai - Coach of VTV Binh Dien Long An team - said: "At the recent World Championship, the athletes as well as the coaching staff did very well, we cannot ask for more. We need to be objective because it was only the first time they faced much stronger teams."

Don't forget to train the kids.

The current generation of athletes is considered the "golden generation" of Vietnamese women's volleyball. But at this time, many are approaching the age of 30. Therefore, finding a replacement generation of athletes is urgent.

Coach Thai Quang Lai commented: "To have good, even athletes, volleyball should be more widely popularized and included in the school curriculum. From there, those who can develop their qualities will be selected for higher training. The synchronization between school sports and elite sports will bring about quality next generations of athletes in the future."

DUC KHUE

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/bong-chuyen-nu-viet-nam-voi-giac-mo-vuon-tam-2025083009080701.htm