Achievements create a foundation of confidence
The year 2025 marks the rise of Vietnamese women's sepak takraw. From the "boost" of the women's doubles gold medal at the 32nd SEA Games, the team continued to affirm its position by winning 2 gold medals at the Asian Championship in China, winning the world championship in the 4-women team event in Thailand and especially the precious gold medal at the 19th ASIAD - the title that ended the 17-year wait of Vietnamese sepak takraw at the Asian Games.
The latest achievement was the achievement at the 2025 World Cup, where the Vietnamese players defeated Thailand right in India to win the championship of the 4-women team. This is a milestone affirming the rising position of Vietnamese sepak takraw, at the same time significantly narrowing the gap with the Thai team - the world's leading force.
Head coach of the Vietnamese Sepak Takraw team, Tran Thi Vui, commented: “In the past two years, we won two out of four finals against Thailand. This shows that the confidence and competitive spirit of the athletes have been significantly strengthened. The athletes are no longer afraid of competing against the strongest opponents in the region.”
According to sports expert Nguyen Hong Minh, the above achievements are not a matter of luck, but the result of a reasonable investment strategy, combined with scientific training and the remarkable maturity of the current generation of athletes. Continuous international competition in the past two years has helped Vietnamese women's sepak takraw to make significant progress in terms of technique, tactics, teamwork ability and competition mentality. Vietnam possesses a generation of athletes with good technical foundation, stable mentality and very smooth coordination ability. If we maintain the form as at the 2025 World Cup, we can absolutely think of the highest goal at the 33rd SEA Games.
Comprehensive preparation, aiming for the golden goal
To prepare for the 33rd SEA Games, the women's sepak takraw team has called up 16 athletes since early 2025 at the National Sports Training Center. The core force includes Tran Thi Ngoc Yen, Nguyen Thi My, Nguyen Thi Ngoc Huyen, Nguyen Thi Yen...; at the same time, many young faces of the U19 group have been added to prepare for the next force.
Coach Tran Thi Vui said the team still faces certain challenges: “The level of athletes in the team is not really even. Some young athletes need to accumulate more experience and improve their competitive mentality. While Thailand can call up to 40 athletes, we only have about 16, so rotating the force will be more difficult.”
The team currently maintains high intensity training of 6 hours a day. The team also increases competition with the men's team to simulate the speed and powerful playing style of the Thai team.
Vietnamese women’s sepak takraw team athlete Nguyen Thi Yen shared: “In the world arena or at the SEA Games, the teams are all very strong. To win, we must train with 100% of our strength, unite to the maximum and maintain concentration in every move.”
In addition to the key target of the 4-person women's team event - where Vietnam is currently dominating - the coaching staff is determined to improve the results in the 2-person and 3-person events to expand the possibility of competing for medals. The elimination of the women's doubles event from the 33rd SEA Games competition program also forced the team to adjust their plan, focusing on the most decisive event.
Head of the High Performance Sports Department (Vietnam Sports Administration - Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism) Hoang Quoc Vinh said that 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 the position they have achieved, while expanding opportunities to win more medals. The Vietnam Sports Administration will create the best conditions in terms of facilities, training and health care for the team to achieve the highest results."
Although the 33rd SEA Games is held right on the home ground of Thailand - the strongest opponent in the region - the Vietnamese women's sepak takraw team still sets the highest goal: Winning the gold medal in the 4-person team event and achieving good results in the remaining events.
With stable performance, correct strategy and solidarity, the Vietnamese women's sepak takraw team is facing a great opportunity to continue writing a new history page for the country's 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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