Vietnamese volleyball at the crossroads of using foreign players

Vietnamese volleyball at the crossroads of using foreign players

From saying "no" to opening the door to foreign players

In the past, Vietnamese volleyball did not allow teams to hire foreign players to compete in the National Championship. Before 2012, the wave of foreign players helped the Vietnam National Championship make a big splash. The peak of using foreign players was the 2011 season, with a total of 22 players, most of whom were from Thailand. In 2012, there were also 20 foreign players competing in the National Championship.

Foreign player M.Kubiak (Poland) has contributed to raising the level of the Ho Chi Minh City Police team in the past two seasons.

However, from 2013 to 2021, volleyball clubs are not allowed to use foreign players according to the policy of the Vietnam Volleyball Federation. This stems from the fact that many teams neglect youth training, focusing only on hiring foreign players. Since then, most teams have relied entirely on domestic forces, focusing on youth training. This approach helps maintain identity but also makes the quality of matches lack competition, making it difficult to attract spectators and sponsors.

While many volleyball teams in the region such as Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines... boldly use foreign players in the National Championship, thereby creating a professional boost, Vietnamese volleyball is still struggling between allowing teams to use or not use foreign players. In reality, only competing domestically makes the domestic technical level slow to improve, young athletes have less opportunity to compete with higher-level opponents and develop professionally more slowly.

The turning point came in the 2022 season, when the Vietnam Volleyball Federation returned to the pilot program of allowing each team to register one foreign player. Although still cautious, the appearance of foreign players has brought a new breeze. Not only improving the quality of matches, foreign players also help the audience become more excited, create media attraction and bring the audience back to the stands.

In the 2024 and 2025 seasons, the regulations were expanded: each team was allowed to register two foreign players, but only one was allowed to be used on the field. This was a cautious move, both increasing competition and preserving the playing space for domestic players. Outstanding foreign players from all over the world such as the US, the Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Thailand, Cambodia... have contributed to changing the face of the tournament, inspiring teams that were struggling with personnel. Having foreign players also significantly increased the strength of the teams.

The most obvious case is the Hanoi Men's Club in the 2025 season. In phase 1, the Hanoi team lost all 5 matches without foreign players. In phase 2, when they were supplemented with foreign players from Cambodia and the return of key player Vu Ngoc Hoang, the Capital team had a spectacular escape from the bottom group to end the season in 5th place.

Options for the 2026 season and the long-term vision

In preparation for the 2026 season, VFV continues to expand consultations, proposing four options for clubs to discuss. Regarding foreign athletes, VFV proposes four options for clubs to discuss: registering 1 foreign player to play 1 on the field; registering 2 foreign players but only playing 1 on the field (current); registering 2 foreign players to play 2 on the field at the same time; and registering 3 foreign players but only playing 2 on the field. The goal is to balance between increasing the attractiveness and drama of the tournament and ensuring development opportunities for domestic players.

The four options above clearly demonstrate the Federation’s receptive spirit: listening to the teams, considering between expertise and long-term development. The goal is to increase the tournament’s appeal and drama while ensuring opportunities for domestic athletes to compete.

Immediately after VFV announced the request for opinions, the volleyball community heatedly discussed. Some people supported the plan to hire 3 foreign players and have 2 players on the field. But most opinions still agreed with the current regulation of hiring 2 foreign players and having 1 player on the field. The reason given was that not every team has strong investors, so if three foreign players are allowed, teams without financial potential will be at a disadvantage.

Mr. Bui Dinh Loi - Head of the Volleyball Department (Hanoi Sports Training and Competition Center), also the General Secretary of the Hanoi Volleyball Federation, also agreed with the current regulations on hiring foreign players in the National Championship. According to Mr. Loi, the current regulations are operating well, suitable for the conditions of most teams participating in the tournament, and at the same time contribute to improving the quality of domestic players, thereby contributing more to the national team.

If we hire more foreign players and increase the number of foreign players on the field, the first thing is that the playing opportunities of domestic players will be limited, leading to the national team being affected to some extent. Not to mention, the source of funds to hire more foreign players to keep up with the younger generation can also "feed" a whole generation of young athletes. Using funds to hire foreign players but affecting investment in youth training is taboo.

Of course, adding foreign players can increase the quality of matches in the National Championship, and the attraction of audiences, media, and sponsors will also increase. But clearly, according to Mr. Bui Dinh Loi, we have to consider the pros and cons.

These opinions reflect two clear extremes: one side wants to open the door to foreign players to increase attraction, the other side is concerned about "foreign encroachment", affecting the development opportunities of young players and widening the gap between rich and poor teams.

It is not by chance that many experts have said that the use of foreign players in the National Championship must be very careful to avoid adverse effects. It is undeniable that the use of foreign players has contributed to changing the face of Vietnamese volleyball in recent seasons. Many matches are more attractive, speed and strength are improved, and the audience is more interested. Foreign players also help domestic athletes learn skills, professional style and international competition spirit.

However, if not properly managed, strong teams will depend on foreign players, while young players will have less opportunities to compete. Then the training system, which is the foundation for sustainable development, will be affected.

Therefore, it is important that VFV sets clear limits and binding mechanisms. Foreign players should only be considered as a supplementary factor, not a replacement. Clubs need to have a parallel development strategy: investing in foreign players to increase competitiveness but at the same time maintaining a minimum rate of young players allowed to compete.

In addition, VFV also needs to consider the financial factors of the teams. If the regulations are expanded too quickly, the difference in potential will cause the tournament to lose balance in match quality. Vietnamese volleyball is facing a great opportunity to professionalize. Inviting foreign players is an inevitable trend, helping the tournament become more attractive and gradually approach the regional level. But it is still necessary to take care and create conditions for a strong training system. Only then can Vietnamese volleyball develop steadily, not only at the club level but also at the national team level.

Create attraction from the competition format

VFV is also considering two ways of organizing: playing according to the home-away model like international professional tournaments, or organizing centrally with 2-4 stages instead of 2 stages as at present. If applied, the home-away format will be a big step forward, helping local audiences have the opportunity to directly cheer for the team, and the clubs will be better exploited for sponsorship and commerce.

Minh Khue

Source: https://cand.com.vn/the-thao/bong-chuyen-viet-nam-truoc-nga-re-su-dung-ngoai-binh-i787133/