Dang Thi Hong's indefinite ban from competition is one of the provisions of a decision approved by the Vietnam Volleyball Federation (VFV) at a recent meeting of its Executive Committee in preparation for activities in the final months of 2025.
Dang Thi Hong was not named specifically.
Among the topics discussed regarding professional matters, tournament organization, and the preparation of the Vietnamese men's and women's volleyball teams for the SEA Games 33, the VFV leadership and relevant departments unanimously agreed to prohibit "athletes who do not meet the eligibility criteria – as determined by the FIVB – from participating in tournaments within the official competition system of the Vietnam Volleyball Federation until further notice."
Dang Thi Hong (12) was removed from the list in the last matches of the Vietnam U21 team.
Although no specific athlete was named, everyone understood who the VFV (Vietnam Volleyball Federation) was targeting. With this decision, Dang Thi Hong – a player from Thai Nguyen who was loaned to the Industrial and Commercial Bank Club for the first phase – will not be able to participate in the second phase of the 2025 National Volleyball Championship. The 19-year-old player will also not be allowed to participate in any official tournaments of the Vietnam Volleyball Federation in the near future.
At the recent Women's U21 World Volleyball Championship held in Indonesia, the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) announced that a Vietnamese player was ineligible to compete. Along with banning the player from further competition, the FIVB also announced the cancellation of the results and declared the Vietnamese U21 team forfeited all four matches against Indonesia, Argentina, Canada, and Serbia.
The Vietnamese U21 team's journey at the world championship was overshadowed by a disciplinary incident involving the FIVB.
Although the official announcement from the FIVB did not name any specific player, in the remaining matches of the tournament, the coaching staff of the Vietnam U21 team dropped captain Dang Thi Hong from the squad. As a result, the Vietnam U21 team lost their chance to participate in the round of 16 and will have to compete for rankings from 17th to 24th place.
At that time, the VFV leadership issued a statement saying they would cooperate with relevant authorities to resolve the matter in order to protect the rights and honor of the athletes and the reputation of Vietnamese volleyball.
To date, the Vietnam Volleyball Federation's website or media channels have not published any announcement regarding whether the FIVB has responded to the complaints from Vietnam. A senior VFV official frankly stated they were "not authorized to comment," while the VFV's spokesperson's phone number is consistently "unreachable."
Dang Hong's competitive career is effectively over at the age of 19.
When VFV changed its stance on Dang Thi Hong
The Vietnam Volleyball Federation (VFV) itself had previously stated that the case of Dang Thi Hong was merely a "issue with her birth certificate," not gender fraud or the use of banned substances in competition. However, while international volleyball officials have yet to provide a specific response (or have issued a written response that has not been released by the VFV), the VFV has suddenly changed its stance. By taking action against its own athlete at this time, does the VFV acknowledge that the FIVB was right, while the VFV itself was wrong from the beginning, and very seriously wrong, perhaps even without knowing exactly where it went wrong (!?).
The decision to ban Dang Thi Hong from competing was issued very quickly, demonstrating the VFV's determination to comply with international regulations. However, what was the reason behind this, and was there any influence or encouragement that led Dang Thi Hong to make this mistake, resulting in this young athlete becoming a "scapegoat"?
If Dang Thi Hong had participated in the Asian Championship and qualified for the World Championship with the U19 team, and if the Vietnam Volleyball Federation (VFV) had been strict and thoroughly checked every step from the beginning, would things have gone wrong, causing the reputation of Vietnamese volleyball to plummet to its current low?
Will Dang Hong become a "scapegoat"?
Another problem that arose as a consequence of the VFV's decision is that the aforementioned firmness was not applied equally, fairly, and transparently. The case of Dang Thi Hong did not cause as much uproar as that of Nguyen Thi Bich Tuyen, but why did the VFV show favoritism?
Was it possible that Bich Tuyen "wisely" withdrew her name before the world championships, avoiding any reaction from international volleyball governing bodies, and thus remained "unscathed" from the VFV's decision?
Bich Tuyen may not be able to participate in the SEA Games 33 despite still playing in the national league.
No one, and no organization has yet, determined the gender of Bich Tuyen or Dang Thi Hong, for ethical and human rights reasons.
However, once it is determined that compliance with FIVB regulations and the determination of gender dysphoria in athletes to ensure eligibility for participation in tournaments within Vietnam's official competition system is necessary and must be carried out according to FIVB guidelines, Vietnamese volleyball desperately needs fair and transparent solutions.
Source: https://nld.com.vn/vi-sao-lien-doan-bong-chuyen-viet-nam-cam-thi-dau-vinh-vien-voi-dang-thi-hong-196250912135039066.htm
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