Achievements build confidence.
2025 marks a glorious chapter for the Vietnamese women's sepak takraw team. Following the "boost" of the gold medal in women's doubles at the 32nd SEA Games, the team continued to assert its position by winning two gold medals at the Asian Championships in China, becoming world champions in the women's four-person team event in Thailand, and most notably, securing the precious gold medal at the 19th Asian Games – a title that ended a 17-year wait for Vietnamese sepak takraw at the Asian Games.
The latest achievement was the 2025 World Cup, where the Vietnamese team defeated Thailand in India to win the women's four-team championship. This milestone affirmed the rising status of Vietnamese sepak takraw and significantly narrowed the gap with Thailand – a leading force in the world.
Vietnam's sepak takraw team head coach, Tran Thi Vui, commented: "In the past two years, we have won 2 out of 4 finals against Thailand. This shows that the confidence and competitive spirit of our athletes have been significantly strengthened. The athletes no longer feel intimidated when competing against the strongest opponent in the region."
According to sports expert Nguyen Hong Minh, the aforementioned achievement is not due to luck, but rather the result of a sound investment strategy, combined with scientific training and the remarkable maturity of the current generation of athletes. Continuous international competition over the past two years has led to significant progress in the Vietnamese women's sepak takraw team's technical and tactical skills, teamwork, and competitive mentality. Vietnam possesses a generation of athletes with a strong technical foundation, stable mentality, and excellent teamwork. If they maintain the form shown at the 2025 World Cup, they can certainly aim for the highest goal at the 33rd SEA Games.
Comprehensive preparation, aiming for gold.
To prepare for the 33rd SEA Games, the women's sepak takraw team has been training 16 athletes since the beginning of 2025 at the National Sports Training Center. The core team includes Tran Thi Ngoc Yen, Nguyen Thi My, Nguyen Thi Ngoc Huyen, Nguyen Thi Yen, etc.; and many young players from the U19 age group have been added to prepare for future success.
Coach Tran Thi Vui stated that the team still faces certain challenges: “The skill level of the athletes in the team is not yet truly uniform. Some young athletes need to gain more experience and improve their competitive mentality. While Thailand can summon up to 40 athletes, we only have about 16, so rotating the squad will be more difficult.”
Currently, the team maintains a high-intensity training schedule of 6 hours per day. They also increase their practice matches against the men's team to emulate the speed and powerful fighting style of the Thai team.
Vietnamese women's sepak takraw team athlete Nguyen Thi Yen shared: "At the world stage or at the SEA Games, all the teams are very strong. To win, we have to train with 100% effort, be united to the maximum, and maintain focus in every move."
Besides the key objective of the women's four-person team event – where Vietnam currently holds an advantage – the coaching staff is determined to improve performance in the two-person and three-person events to expand their medal-winning opportunities. The exclusion of the women's doubles event from the SEA Games 33 also forced the team to adjust its plan, focusing maximum effort on the most crucial event.
According to Hoang Quoc Vinh, Head of the High-Performance Sports Department (Vietnam Sports Administration - Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism), sepak takraw is one of Vietnam's strong sports. “We expect the women's team to continue to maintain discipline, competitive spirit, and determination to defend their achieved position, while expanding opportunities to win more medals. The Vietnam Sports Administration will provide the best possible conditions in terms of facilities, training, and healthcare to help the team achieve the highest possible results.”
Despite the SEA Games 33 being held on home soil in Thailand – the strongest opponent in the region – the Vietnamese women's sepak takraw team still set the highest goal: to win the gold medal in the four-person team event and achieve good results in the remaining events.
With consistent performance, the right strategy, and a spirit of unity, the Vietnamese women's sepak takraw team has a great opportunity to continue writing new chapters in the history of Vietnamese sports at the 33rd SEA Games.
Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/doi-tuyen-cau-may-nu-viet-nam-quyet-tam-gianh-huy-chuong-vang-tai-sea-games-33-725186.html
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