Not only has the Vietnamese women's volleyball team never won the SEA Games, it has also never surpassed Thailand in the SEA V-League over the past 4 editions since 2019. Therefore, fans cannot help but be happy when the Vietnamese women's volleyball team boldly set the target of conquering the gold medal set at the 33rd SEA Games - 2025 at the end of this year, also indirectly showing the dream of winning the SEA V-League with 4 consecutive times finishing second after Thailand.
Taking Step One: The Achilles Heel
Over the past three years, Vietnamese women's volleyball has been making rapid progress at all levels, continuously creating a buzz with the brands LPBank Ninh Binh, Duc Giang Chemicals, VTV Binh Dien Long An , Sports Center 1 (participating in 3 Asian Cup finals, winning the right to participate in the world club tournament) to the Vietnamese team (Top 4 of the 2023 Asian Championship, semi-finals of ASIAD 19, champion of the 2023 AVC Challenge Cup, champion of the 2023 AVC Women's Club Cup, winning tickets to the 2023 FIVB Challenger Cup, the 2023 Women's Club World Championship, champion of the 2024 AVC Challenge Cup, bronze medal of the 2024 FIVB Challenger Cup, AVC Nations Cup 2025)...
Up until the VTV Cup 2025 final, the Vietnamese women's team had not lost any matches in international tournaments since the beginning of the year. In the eyes of fans, coach Nguyen Tuan Kiet has a perfect squad, especially since the return of captain Tran Thi Thanh Thuy, adding strength to the attack while many outstanding faces continue to assert themselves.
How many people understand the thoughts of young coach Nguyen Tuan Kiet, who is always looking for a comprehensive solution for the team? Not much different from the problems in other clubs, Mr. Kiet's coaching staff is always concerned about shaping the stability of the setter, even though Lam Oanh and Kim Thoa are currently the two best setters in the country.
More worrying than that is nothing other than the back line defense or the first step of the team. Calling back two veteran faces Tran Thi Bich Thuy and Nguyen Thi Uyen after a few years only temporarily solves one link in the attack line (Bich Thuy) while the first step still leaves many worries, even though Nguyen Thi Uyen is currently rated the highest.
Nguyen Thi Uyen (20) is expected to become a comprehensive offensive and defensive player in the Vietnam team. Photo: DOAN TUAN
Waiting for new factor
Right after the end of VTV Cup, the Vietnam team will participate in 2 rounds of SEA V-League 2025 and World Championship 2025 in Thailand. Perhaps after the players are returned to their clubs to prepare for the second phase of the National Championship, the coaching staff will have the opportunity to look for suitable faces for the setter position.
"That is a very important calculation for the 33rd SEA Games campaign in Thailand, where the Vietnamese team has the task of stopping the host's dominance. Thailand is still at a higher level (ranked 19th in the world) compared to Vietnam, but in sports nothing is impossible if we have determination, specific goals and a methodical approach to comprehensively improve Vietnamese volleyball" - Coach Nguyen Tuan Kiet shared.
Setter and setter are two very important positions on the field, but for many years, the training system of Vietnamese clubs has not been able to produce any top-class athletes.
Tran Thi Bich Thuy is doing well in the role of middle blocker after a period of playing in Korea and reappearing after a year of absence from the national team in 2 campaigns of AVC Nations Cup as well as VTV Cup. This middle blocker born in 2000 is playing for Duc Giang Chemicals, receiving the trust of her teammates, but fans also have the right to expect the talent of Nguyen Thi Uyen.
The captain of Thai Binh Club is mature, plays calmly and effectively but it seems that everything is still waiting for her ahead. There is a comparison, the back line defense is quite good but to fulfill the task of setting the first set, Nguyen Thi Uyen still has to make an effort to be able to keep up with the 2 liberos Khanh Dang and Ly Ly.
Own the golden generation
"Over each season, Vietnamese athletes have matured and it is no exaggeration to say that this is the golden generation of women's volleyball in recent years. We have dared to play fairly with our opponents, including the Thai team. Hopefully, one day in the near future, Vietnamese women's volleyball will make a name for itself as a leading team in Southeast Asia," said coach Nguyen Tuan Kiet.
Source: https://nld.com.vn/bong-chuyen-nu-quyet-tam-pha-dop-hcv-sea-games-196250705200731119.htm
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