Expect surprises at the Hoa Lu Cup.

Today (March 18th), the Hoa Lu Cup 2026 volleyball tournament will officially kick off, marking a vibrant year for Vietnamese volleyball.

The Border Guard men's team faces a major challenge in defending their title at the Hoa Lu Cup - Photo: VFV

As a tradition, the Hoa Lu Cup, held in Ninh Binh, always serves as the opening event of the new year, heralding a new season for domestic volleyball. This year, the tournament is expected to be exciting.

The men's competition will include teams from Ho Chi Minh City, Border Guard, and Ho Chi Minh City Police (Group A), LPBank Ninh Binh, Hanoi, and The Cong Tan Cang (Group B). The women's competition will feature teams from VTV Binh Dien Long An, Hanoi, and VietinBank (Group A), LPBank Ninh Binh, XMLS Thanh Hoa, and the Signal Corps (Group B).

Will the championship change hands?

For the past three years, the Border Guard men's team has consistently dominated domestic tournaments. Without needing "top-tier" foreign players, a quality squad of domestic athletes who understand each other well is enough for the military team to reign supreme in the competitions.

Border Guard currently has a two-year streak of winning the national championship and the Hoa Lu Cup. Notably, they only use one young foreign player, Jakkrit Thanomnoi (Thailand) - whose contribution is quite modest compared to Vietnamese players like Ngoc Thuan, Duy Tuyen, and Van Hiep...

With such a solid core, it's easy to understand why this team has made few additions to its squad in recent years. Even this year, they continue to place their trust in Jakkrit for their foreign player slot.

This is both an advantage and a challenge for Border Guard because other teams are actively strengthening their squads. Most notably, the Ho Chi Minh City Police team. In 2025, they were promoted to the National Volleyball Championship (now renamed the National Club Volleyball Championship) and quickly brought in many stars such as Quoc Duy, Quoc Du, Van Sanh..., alongside foreign players like the Polish world champion Michal Kubiak.

Due to a lack of experience in high-level tournaments, the Ho Chi Minh City Police team did not win any titles in 2025. However, this year, with continued investment, they deserve to be considered a strong contender for the Hoa Lu Cup championship. In addition, the host team LPBank Ninh Binh is also very determined, along with the strong resurgence of The Cong Tan Cang.

In the women's category, the home team LPBank Ninh Binh (the defending champion) also faces a major challenge without Nguyen Thi Bich Tuyen. This is an opportunity for traditionally strong teams like VTV Binh Dien Long An, the Information Corps, or even Vietinbank to rise to the top.

Waiting for the new recruits.

Besides established teams, the 2026 Hoa Lu Cup features two newly promoted teams: Ho Chi Minh City FC in the men's category and Hanoi FC in the women's category. Last year, Ho Chi Minh City FC unexpectedly but convincingly won the National A-League Volleyball Championship. Despite using 100% home-trained players and having no foreign players, they defeated strong teams like Vinh Long and Ha Tinh to secure promotion.

During the awards ceremony, the leaders of the Ho Chi Minh City Volleyball Federation shared the difficulties in finding sponsors for the new season. This was partly due to their unexpected promotion despite not setting high goals. Up until now, their team preparation has been relatively quiet, with only veteran player Tu Thanh Thuan having been brought in. Nevertheless, the Ho Chi Minh City team remains one of the renowned cradles of volleyball in the country.

In contrast, the Hanoi women's team has received significant investment thanks to a high-quality sponsor. A host of star newcomers have been introduced, such as Vi Thi Nhu Quynh (recently returned from Indonesia), Le Thanh Thuy, Nguyen Khanh Dang... And most notably, Coach Nguyen Tuan Kiet – who has brought considerable success to the national women's volleyball team over the years.

Both an unknown quantity and a challenge that the other teams must be wary of, the two newcomers, Ho Chi Minh City (men) and Hanoi (women), could very well deliver surprising results at this year's Hoa Lu Cup.

This will further reinforce the belief that the domestic volleyball scene will have a vibrant and exciting year.

DUC KHUE

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/cho-bat-ngo-o-cup-hoa-lu-2026031809082522.htm