Tran Thi Bich Thuy: Every journey is a new discovery for me.

The fact that middle blocker Bich Thuy is competing in the professional women's volleyball league in South Korea came as a surprise to many. However, considering her professional abilities, her move to play abroad is entirely appropriate. This helps Vietnamese women's volleyball build a stronger image on the continent.

Middle blocker Tran Thi Bich Thuy. Photo: AVC

The wait has come true.

Tran Thi Bich Thuy has officially joined the GS Caltex W team to compete in the Korean Women's National Volleyball Championship. Bich Thuy is still managed by the Duc Giang Lao Cai Chemical Team. Her current contract in Korea is for three months. "I am fortunate to have the opportunity to further my professional development. Every volleyball system has its strengths, and I, along with many others, am always eager to learn and gain experience," Nguyen Bich Thuy once expressed.

In March 2024, Bich Thuy, along with her teammates Tran Tu Linh and Ly Thi Luyen, had the opportunity to go to South Korea. They participated in trials for Korean football teams to select players for the KOVO Cup. Each of them tried their best, but unfortunately, none of the three players secured a contract to play in South Korea.

After returning to Vietnam to participate in the 2024 National Volleyball Championship, Bich Thuy shared that she never gave up hope of finding other opportunities to compete in volleyball tournaments abroad. Bich Thuy understood that Vietnamese players are fully capable of developing their skills. Now, Bich Thuy's wait has come true.

In 2019, we met Nguyen Thi Bich Thuy when she returned to Vietnam after training and competing in Thailand. Bich Thuy was one of the first members of the Duc Giang Lao Cai Chemical Women's Team to be sent abroad for training and competition to gain professional experience. At that time, Bich Thuy was 19 years old.

During her time in Thailand, the middle blocker of the Vietnamese women's volleyball team spent eight months training and competing for the Air Force women's team. This team is now called Diamond Food-Fine Chef Sport Club (which previously visited Vietnam to participate in the 2023 Asian Club Volleyball Championship).

"In Thailand, the team's training methods are different from those in Vietnam. It took me almost three months to get used to the style of play, to familiarize myself with their players' tactics, and to improve my own technique," Bich Thuy once shared at the time.

At the end of the 2019 Thailand Women's Volleyball Championship, Bich Thuy received the individual award: Best Middle Blocker.

That was a memorable period because Bich Thuy clearly demonstrated that being in Thailand helped her make positive professional changes. The hitter once said that any Vietnamese athlete going abroad feels a bit disoriented, but the top priority is professional development, so she focused on training and competing, ignoring everything else, thus improving her performance to gain more trust from her coach.

The invitation for Bich Thuy to play in South Korea was quite coincidental. Seeing this as a good opportunity for Bich Thuy to further develop her skills, the manager of the Duc Giang Lao Cai Chemical Team agreed to let their player go to the land of kimchi. Vietnamese volleyball history officially records Tran Thi Bich Thuy as the first player to sign a contract with a professional South Korean volleyball team.

Traveling broadens the mind.

At the current National Volleyball Championship, the girl born in 2000 is one of the few players with good height (1.84m) and the ability to hit fast spikes, possessing a quick mind. Former coach Pham Van Long of the Duc Giang Lao Cai Chemical Team once analyzed Bich Thuy, saying that she is a player with good height, has developed positively in recent years, and is a very effective middle blocker when executing fast spikes. "Thuy has competed in many tournaments, accumulated experience with high-level volleyball, so she has enough opportunities to develop herself," Mr. Long assessed.

Now, Bich Thuy has begun to adapt to the South Korean sports environment. Many predict that, being a professional environment, the selection process is very rigorous, and players will inevitably face pressure. It's no coincidence that the manager of the GS Caltex W team noticed Bich Thuy and invited her to play in South Korea.

Bich Thuy shared that she is focusing entirely on her professional development, so she is working hard to understand and keep up with the training plan and competition intentions from her coach. Of course, what Bich Thuy needs most is a starting spot on the court, and she will have to give 100% of her effort.

Determined to make a strong comeback in 2025

Bich Thuy is a member of the Vietnamese women's volleyball team that participated in the 31st SEA Games, winning a silver medal on home soil. In 2023, she regularly featured in the Vietnamese women's volleyball team under head coach Nguyen Tuan Kiet.

Bich Thuy was also included in the list of players for the 32nd SEA Games in Cambodia. 2023 was considered a year of hard work for Bich Thuy, and this middle blocker achieved many results with the Vietnamese women's national team. Bich Thuy won the Hung Vuong Cup for the first time with the Duc Giang Lao Cai Chemical Team.

It's a pity for Bich Thuy that she's absent from the coaching staff's lineup for the Vietnamese women's volleyball team in 2024. Bich Thuy once said that she wasn't sad about it, but rather it motivated her to play better and find an opportunity to return to the Vietnamese women's volleyball team.

In 2024, Bich Thuy competed in tournaments with great determination. Those in the profession frankly acknowledged that the Duc Giang Lao Cai Chemical Women's Team was fortunate to have Bich Thuy, who was very consistent in her performances. Another regret for this middle blocker was that she and her teammates reached the finals of the 2024 National Volleyball Championship but finished second.

Her strong performance at the 2024 National Volleyball Championship, combined with the opportunity to compete in South Korea, has been the most concrete evidence for Bich Thuy to believe she has a chance to return to the Vietnamese women's national volleyball team this year.

Of course, the coaching staff makes the final decision. Bich Thuy said she is still eagerly awaiting the opportunity to continue competing in the SEA Games for the Vietnamese team. This year, the Vietnamese women's volleyball team will definitely go to Thailand to compete in the 33rd SEA Games.

Nevertheless, female volleyball players nationwide are anxiously awaiting the Vietnamese women's national volleyball team's professional plan for the 2025 World Championship. No one wants to miss out on this prestigious tournament. This is the first time the Vietnamese women's volleyball team has been officially selected to participate in the 2025 World Championship.

"I don't want to say too much about myself because what matters most is my performance on the field. I always listen and train according to the coaches' plans to do my best in every situation," Bich Thuy shared with the press.

The Korean Women's National Volleyball Championship will conclude at the end of March 2025. If Bich Thuy's contract is not renewed, she will return to Vietnam to participate in the 2025 National Championship with her current team. However, if Bich Thuy is offered a new contract in Korea, she will not miss the opportunity to continue playing there and further improve her skills.

Laodong.vn

Source: https://laodong.vn/lao-dong-cuoi-tuan/tran-thi-bich-thuy-moi-hanh-trinh-voi-toi-la-them-su-khai-pha-1445074.ldo