Opportunities and challenges for volleyball

VHO - At the 33rd SEA Games, the Vietnamese men's and women's volleyball teams are expected to face many challenges in their quest for high positions. However, this is also an opportunity for Vietnamese men and women to show themselves and bring glory to the country's sports.

The men's team will strive to overcome difficulties at SEA Games 33.

Challenges from competitors

Before the 33rd SEA Games, the Vietnamese men's team competed in the Asian Men's Club Championship in May in Japan (stopped at the group stage), the Asian Volleyball Cup - AVC Nations Cup in June in Bahrain (ranked 8th) and 2 SEA V.League stages in Thailand and the Philippines (won bronze medal in stage 1 and silver medal in stage 2).

Competing in the above tournaments has given the players exposure and better preparation for the 33rd SEA Games. The most important thing is that the team's strength (14 players) participating in the regional conference is almost the same as in the above tournaments.

This gives the coaching staff the advantage of maintaining stability for the main squad as well as calculating the best performance points of the players before competing at the 33rd SEA Games.

This year, the target assigned to the Vietnamese men's team is to compete for medals (at the 32nd SEA Games in 2023 in Cambodia, the team won a bronze medal, before that at the 31st SEA Games in Vietnam it was a silver medal).

However, after impressive achievements in recent times, especially the silver medal at stage 2 of SEA V.League 2025, fans expect the team to reach the finals and further win the gold medal.

The solid foundation for that expectation is that the team has the best people, a mature framework that has played together for quite a long time such as Van Hiep, Ngoc Thuan, Van Duy, Duy Tuyen, Quoc Du, Quoc Duy, Trong Nghia...

But the challenge for coach Tran Dinh Tien and his team is huge because the opponents at SEA Games 33 are very determined and not easy to play. In group A, the Vietnamese men's team will have many opportunities to win one of the two tickets to the semi-finals because besides host Thailand, both Singapore and Laos are very weak.

But the big challenge will come in the semi-finals, when the opponents in Group B are very difficult. Indonesia is the defending champion and the number 1 team in the region, while Cambodia is the current runner-up, the Philippines is showing great progress in recent times and Myanmar has always been a team that has caused many difficulties for opponents. If there are no surprises, Indonesia will likely win Group B.

Therefore, if Vietnam wants to have a chance to enter the final, the Vietnamese team must win Group A, which means the team must beat Thailand in the group stage. The Vietnamese team has won against Thailand in both meetings in SEA V.League 2025 (the team also beat Thailand 3-1 in the bronze medal match of SEA Games 32), but this time, the opponent is playing at home, so the possibility of defeating them will be more difficult. In case the Vietnamese team wins Group A, facing Cambodia or the Philippines will not be easy.

Relieve the pressure

Before the 33rd SEA Games, the Vietnamese women's team changed its target from gold to silver. This change was based on the situation of the force, the most important thing is to reduce the pressure on the players to achieve results, so that they have a better competitive mentality.

In the last 3 SEA Games, the Vietnamese women's team reached the final but lost to Thailand. The most regrettable was the 31st SEA Games in 2022, despite having home field advantage, the team still could not change the color of the medal against Thailand.

At SEA Games 33, the Vietnamese women's team has to compete in Thailand, so the chance for us to surprise our opponents is less, so the target of winning a silver medal is reasonable.

At the second round of the SEA V.League 2025 held in early August in Hanoi , the Vietnamese women's team defeated the Thai women's team for the first time in history in an official regional tournament. However, at that time, the team had Nguyen Thi Bich Tuyen, who scored 45 points in the final match, contributing greatly to the home team's historic victory. At the 33rd SEA Games, Bich Tuyen did not participate.

This brings difficulties to the team. Bich Tuyen's absence not only affects the ability to score but also reduces the team's dynamism and attacking power. This can be considered one of the important reasons why the Vietnamese women's team has to adjust its quota.

However, with the current players, coach Nguyen Tuan Kiet and his team are expected to have a memorable journey. At the 33rd SEA Games, the Vietnamese women's team is in Group B with Indonesia, Myanmar and Malaysia; Group A includes Thailand (host, defending champion), the Philippines and Singapore.

If there are no surprises, Vietnam and Thailand will likely meet in the final. At that time, everything is unpredictable. Once entering the decisive match, the fighting spirit, perseverance and will to overcome difficulties of the Vietnamese girls are expected to show at the right time to dream of a miracle. With a united, determined and never-give-up spirit, the Vietnamese women's team is still expected to create a surprise at the 33rd SEA Games.

14 male players: Nguyen Ngoc Thuan, Quan Trong Nghia, Duong Van Tien, Tran Anh Tu (main attacker); Pham Van Hiep, Nguyen Van Quoc Duy, Pham Quoc Du (opposite setter); Tran Duy Tuyen, Truong The Khai, Nguyen Thanh Hai (middle attacker); Dinh Van Duy, Phan Cong Duc (setter); Trinh Duy Phuc, Cao Duc Hoang (Libero)

14 female players: Tran Thi Thanh Thuy, Vi Thi Nhu Quynh, Nguyen Thi Uyen, Bui Thi Anh Thao (attacker); Dang Thi Kim Thanh, Hoang Thi Kieu Trinh (opposite setter); Tran Thi Bich Thuy, Nguyen Thi Trinh, Le Thanh Thuy, Luu Thi Hue (middle blocker); Doan Thi Lam Oanh, Vo Thi Kim Thoa (setter); Nguyen Khanh Dang, Le Thi Yen (Libero).

Source: https://baovanhoa.vn/the-thao/co-hoi-va-thu-thach-cho-bong-chuyen-186614.html