Silver medal and golden journey for Vietnamese women's volleyball.

It would be perfect if the Vietnamese women's volleyball team won the gold medal at the 33rd SEA Games. But even if that's not the case, the team has already had a "golden" journey at the most important tournament in Southeast Asia.

The journey in the right direction

Even though the Vietnamese women's volleyball team returned home with their 12th silver medal in the SEA Games, the aftermath of the SEA Games 33 final against Thailand is still widely discussed on forums and among professionals in the field. Failure in sports takes many forms. Among them are failures that cannot be ignored, cannot be blamed, and certainly cannot be considered normal.

What the Vietnamese women's volleyball team demonstrated in the breathtaking five-set final against Thailand was not just a result, but the culmination of a long, systematic, and well-planned preparation process. This resulted in what is considered the best and most dramatic women's volleyball final in SEA Games history.

The 33rd SEA Games witnessed a very different Vietnamese women's volleyball team: more modern, more confident, and capable enough to make Thailand, the "icon" of Southeast Asian women's volleyball that has reached world-class levels, tremble until the very last points. Therefore, this silver medal holds special value, even to the point of being considered "as precious as gold" in the hearts of the fans.

The Vietnamese women's volleyball team is heading in the right direction.

It's no coincidence that after the final match, Thailand's head coach Kiatipong Ratchatagriengkrai showered Vietnam with praise. He affirmed that the Vietnamese team showed clear progress and were capable of creating a truly top-tier final. According to Coach Kiatipong, the SEA Games 33 gold medal was not an easy victory for Thailand. It's no coincidence that this renowned coach concluded that this SEA Games was exceptionally challenging for Thailand. As Coach Kiatipong shared, in recent years, many teams in the region have progressed rapidly, like Vietnam, forcing Thai volleyball to work harder in training and developing players.

In reality, for many years, the Vietnamese women's volleyball team was often put in a position where "the only goal was to finish second" and considered Thailand an insurmountable obstacle. But the 33rd SEA Games showed that the story had changed. Coach Nguyen Tuan Kiet's team entered the tournament with a new image built upon the entire system: the national championship is increasingly competitive, clubs are focusing on youth development, players are getting more regular experience, and especially, many key players have been invited to play in top Asian leagues, including Japan.

These overseas trips not only helped Vietnamese players improve their individual skills, but also changed their tactical thinking, game pace, and ability to handle pressure. That's why at the 33rd SEA Games, the Vietnamese women's volleyball team was able to play on equal footing with Thailand in a final that went to a fifth set, something that had never happened in the finals between the two teams in over two decades.

Put aside regrets, nurture hope.

A well-deserved reward

Immediately after the final match, the Vietnamese women's volleyball team was awarded 500 million VND by the Vietnam Volleyball Federation. This reward is considered well-deserved for the athletes' efforts throughout their preparation for the 33rd SEA Games.

Minh Khue

The SEA Games 33 women's volleyball championship was within reach, but ultimately slipped through the fingers of the Vietnamese volleyball team, leaving many with regrets.

This is different from the previous 11 runner-up finishes, when even the players themselves felt regret. Fans are in a similar state of mind because they all saw the team's dedication to the point of exhaustion and their level approaching that of Thailand, thus seeing an opportunity to overcome the high mountain of Southeast Asian volleyball.

Former national team player Nguyen Thi Ngoc Hoa – who lost to Thailand in more than half of the SEA Games finals and was a member of the coaching staff for the women's national team at the 33rd SEA Games – once recounted that she was at times "haunted by the name Thailand," but gradually became calmer after competing there and witnessing the superior facilities and support staff compared to Vietnam, from gyms, doctors, physiotherapists to nutritionists.

This explains the success of the Thai women's volleyball team over the past two decades, having risen to world-class status and become Asian champions. Simultaneously, they have created a significant gap in skill level with other teams in Southeast Asia.

But the 33rd SEA Games showed that this gap is gradually narrowing after the convincing performance and the disappointing missed opportunity for gold by the Vietnamese women's volleyball team. Even the athletes' managers at domestic clubs felt more regretful. For example, the Hanoi women's volleyball team had Bui Thi Anh Thao participating in the Vietnamese women's volleyball team at the 33rd SEA Games. If she had won the SEA Games 33 championship, she would have received prize money from the state, the Vietnam Volleyball Federation, and the city of Hanoi. In addition, she would have received a monthly allowance of 15 million VND for one SEA Games cycle, also from the city of Hanoi. Furthermore, she would have had the opportunity to attend university with tuition support equivalent to the tuition fees of Tu Son University of Physical Education and Sports, according to a recent resolution of the Hanoi People's Council.

Earlier this year, the Vietnamese women's volleyball team had set a target of winning a gold medal at the 33rd SEA Games, but due to team circumstances, they adjusted their goal to a silver medal. They almost succeeded in changing the color. This shows that the current investment strategy has proven correct: investing in domestic leagues, youth training, sending players abroad to compete, and accumulating top-level experience through continuously hosting international tournaments. Even within the national team, the presence of fitness experts and data analysts demonstrates significant investment in a professional and modern direction. Importantly, this needs to be disseminated to the clubs to create a solid foundation for Vietnamese volleyball in general, and Vietnamese women's volleyball in particular.

After this "golden" silver medal, what needs to be done is to put aside regrets and continue to invest more strongly in building a team with sufficient depth, resilience, and composure in decisive moments. Because clearly, the door to winning the SEA Games championship is no longer far away. SEA Games 33 may not have brought home a gold medal, but it certainly brought confidence – the most valuable thing for the future of Vietnamese women's volleyball.

Source: https://cand.com.vn/the-thao/huy-chuong-bac-va-hanh-trinh-vang-cua-bong-chuyen-nu-viet-nam-i791417/