Vietnam Women's Volleyball: What to do without Bich Tuyen?

Bich Tuyen - Photo 1.

The absence of Bich Tuyen (left) is a great loss for the Vietnamese women's volleyball team - Photo: AVC

On August 19, the Vietnam Volleyball Federation confirmed that opposing setter Bich Tuyen will not go to Thailand to participate in the tournament with the Vietnamese women's volleyball team due to personal reasons.

Who can replace?

This is bad news for the Vietnamese women's volleyball team. Over the past two years, Bich Tuyen has been the team's number one star with many important highlights. Most recently, she scored 45 points against Thailand to bring the historic SEA V.League championship to the Vietnamese team.

Due to the tight schedule, the Vietnamese team had to leave with only 13 athletes. Notably, the only person registered to compete in the same role as Bich Tuyen was Hoang Thi Kieu Trinh - an athlete from the Signal Corps.

To be fair, the athlete born in 2001 deserves a place at the World Championship. In 2023, she will be the number 1 opposite of the Vietnamese team in the absence of Bich Tuyen. Thanks to Kieu Trinh, the Vietnamese team won the top 4 position at the Asian Championship, from which they got a ticket to the World Championship.

But then, injuries greatly affected Kieu Trinh's performance. In addition, Bich Tuyen's return to the national team in 2024 made Kieu Trinh's role as opposite setter even more obscure. She was only used in less important matches or in friendly tournaments.

Typically, at the Shanghai Future Star Tournament last July, Kieu Trinh was given full trust. She performed well, arguably the best among the names that went to China to participate in the tournament. But when she returned to participate in the SEA V.League, Bich Tuyen was still the main player.

Kieu Trinh is not the type of passer who "carries" points from match to match or game to game. Therefore, the coaching staff needs to calculate and adjust, avoiding putting too much ball in one position.

Need to think long term

Bich Tuyen's absence was a real shock. But in some ways, it's not so bad. At the World Cup in Thailand, Vietnam were in the same group as strong teams Poland, Germany and Kenya. So it was clear from the start that the result was not the goal.

Therefore, even if Bich Tuyen is present, it will be difficult to create a surprise in Thailand. But the problem here is the long-term story of the Vietnamese women's team, especially when the year-end goal is to aim for the SEA Games championship trophy.

It is really unfortunate that at this time, another quality setter, Nguyen Thi Tra My, has not regained her form after her injury. Meanwhile, in the main attacking positions, Thanh Thuy is also in a similar situation. Vi Thi Nhu Quynh, Nguyen Thi Uyen or Nguyen Thi Phuong have never created peace of mind in the attack.

Bich Tuyen may return to the national team after the World Championship ends. However, coach Nguyen Tuan Kiet also needs to calculate from now, because the National Championship still has phase 2. And that is the opportunity for new factors to show themselves.

DUC KHUE

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/bong-chuyen-nu-viet-nam-lam-gi-khi-khong-co-bich-tuyen-2025081923553762.htm