Thanh Thuy and the silence after trips abroad

While playing brilliantly in Pro Liga, being in the starting lineup of Gresik Petrokimia in all 7 matches of the first leg, Thanh Thuy suddenly left Indonesia to return home on the 3rd day of Tet, surprising fans.

2 Breakups Too Soon

According to many leading sports newspapers, in 2024, striker Tran Thi Thanh Thuy set a record as the only Vietnamese volleyball player to play for foreign teams 6 times, from Bangkok Glass VC (Thailand), Attack Line (Taiwan - China), Denso Airybees, PFU BlueCats (Japan), Kuzeyboru (Turkey) and recently Gresik Petrokimia of Indonesia.

Thanh Thúy chơi không ổn định trong thời gian dài phần vì chấn thương dai dẳng... Ảnh: AVC — Thanh Thuy's performance has been unstable for a long time partly due to persistent injuries... Photo: AVC

It was an honor, but the two most recent trips abroad were the source of sadness that is hard to express to anyone for Vietnam's number 1 female hitter. She joined Kuzeyboru with a 10-month contract worth billions of dong but had to say goodbye to the Turkish National Championship after only 2 months of fighting.

Switching to the Indonesian national league, Thanh Thuy played for Gresik Petrokimia under an agreement until the end of the season with a salary of hundreds of millions of dong. However, after 7 matches, Gresik Petrokimia suddenly terminated the contract with the Vietnamese player, the reason was not disclosed.

It is called a surprise because in the Gresik Petrokimia squad, Thanh Thuy is considered a top-level hitter with extensive international competition experience. Notably, she is a member of the Vietnam national team, one of the teams that left the strongest impression in the continental and world volleyball scene in the past year.

Even just a few days before the two sides agreed to terminate the contract, Thanh Thuy - the only member of the Gresik Petrokimia squad ranked in the Top 500 best athletes in the world - had a quite impressive match, scoring 16 points in the match against Jakarta Pertamina.

Thanh Thuy's contract with Gresik Petrokimia, which was due to expire at the end of May, ended early, surprising the sports press of both countries. The home team VTV Binh Dien Long An has yet to comment on why their player was sent back. Meanwhile, Sportcorner, one of Indonesia's most famous sports news sites, confirmed that Thanh Thuy "had health problems", specifically a knee injury.

It is not difficult to determine that Gresik Petrokimia is not satisfied with the 5/7 ranking after the first leg of Pro Liga. They decided to add a high-quality American striker to improve their ranking. The presence of Julia Sangiacomo, who is 1.97 m tall, is probably the reason why the team had to "sacrifice" Thanh Thuy, a Vietnamese striker who is very popular with teammates as well as the coaching staff of the Indonesian women's oil and gas team.

Difficult to return to top form

It is said that she had to leave Gresik Petrokimia due to health reasons, but right after returning home, Thanh Thuy almost immediately returned to training with her home team VTV Binh Dien Long An. A leader of Binh Dien Sports Joint Stock Company confirmed that Thanh Thuy will go with the team to the North, waiting to participate in the first tournament of the year, the Hoa Lu - Binh Dien Cup 2025, taking place from March 5 to 10 in Ninh Binh. After that, the whole team will officially participate in round 1 of the 2025 National Championship from March 22 to 31 in Hanoi.

Following Thanh Thuy's journey in 2024, it is not difficult for fans to realize that this main striker is no longer herself at the VTV Binh Dien International Volleyball Tournament. An injury during her time playing for PFU Blue Cats Club (Japan) meant that Thanh Thuy could only contribute very little to VTV Binh Dien Long An in the tournament on her "home field".

Injury is also the reason Thanh Thuy is absent from most tournaments of the year with the national team, from the friendly trip in Shanghai - China to official events such as VTV Cup, the second leg of SEA V-League...

Those who understand the situation will not be surprised that Thanh Thuy cannot stay long with Kuzeyboru or Gresik Petrokimia, due to very professional reasons in the teams that are playing professionally. The problem is that everything happened too quickly for Thanh Thuy!

In 2025, VTV Binh Dien Long An aims to successfully defend the title of the Vietnam Championship. The Vietnamese women's volleyball team also has a heavy burden of responsibility, both worrying about the mission of "overthrowing" the Thais at the 33rd SEA Games and preparing best for their first participation in the World Cup. Both teams are in great need of experienced and seasoned athletes like Thanh Thuy.

In her career, Thanh Thuy has overcome many challenges to prove her talent and class. She can do it again when reuniting with VTV Binh Dien Long An. Many important tournaments with the Western women's volleyball team and the Vietnam national team are still waiting for a "4T" strong in both spirit and body ahead.

Fans are concerned about Thanh Thuy's injury. Why haven't the club and national team paid any attention to thoroughly treating the injury of Vietnam's number 1 striker for more than half a year?