Vietnam vs Thailand Women's Volleyball: Lessons from the Neighbors

Vietnam women's volleyball is competing and narrowing the gap with Thailand, and needs to learn lessons from its successful neighbor.

Thailand's progress

The FIVB Women's Volleyball World Championship 2025 just opened in Thailand with special significance for women's volleyball in Southeast Asia.

For the first time in history, Vietnam is present on the world stage, while host Thailand is a familiar face in many finals.

The two teams come from the same region, but their journeys and positions clearly show the difference - which is also a valuable lesson for Vietnam to look at.

The Vietnamese women's team is closing the gap with Thailand. Photo: TVA

It took Thailand more than two decades of perseverance to build its position. From a team considered a “bottom line”, they rose to become a continental power thanks to a solid foundation.

That is the systematic youth training system, modern competition strategy and the ability to make the most of talented athletes such as Wilavan Apinyapong (2001-2021), Nootsara Tomkom (2001-2021; 2023), Pleumjit Thinkaow (2001-2021) - the first two players who joined the team after Vietnam.

As a result, they not only dominated Southeast Asia with numerous SEA Games gold medals, but also won the Asian championship three times (most recently in 2023), even defeating formidable opponents such as Türkiye or Brazil in several international tournaments.

Vietnam, on the other hand, has just begun to touch the World Championship. The team has made a splash many times at the SEA Games, but at the Asian and world levels, we still do not have a broad enough foundation.

Limited physique, not many athletes competing in international tournaments, and especially lack of experience.

Making their debut in the tournament in Thailand is a huge achievement, and also shows the gap with their neighbours – who just beat Egypt 3-1 in their opening match.

The comparison becomes interesting as both come from a sporting background that does not have the economic clout of Japan or China.

If Thailand has proven that Southeast Asian women's volleyball can reach the world, then Vietnam has reason to believe that it can repeat that path.

Thai women can compete with strong teams in Asia and the world. Photo: TVA

The key lies in consistency and long-term development strategy – something Thailand has done very well over the past 20 years.

Lessons from a successful neighbor

Thailand's success brings at least 3 important lessons to Vietnamese volleyball.

Firstly, building a youth training system cannot rely solely on a few key clubs; there needs to be a nationwide network where talents from all regions can be discovered and nurtured.

Second, international integration is a priority. Thai athletes compete in many European and Japanese tournaments, helping them mature quickly.

Vietnam needs to boldly send players abroad, instead of just hanging around in the domestic league.

Third, patience and belief. Thailand failed many times in the World Championship qualifiers before making a breakthrough.

Despite the difficulties, Vietnam needs to persevere with the roadmap, instead of just setting short-term goals.

In this year's women's volleyball world championship, it is difficult for Vietnam to directly compare with Thailand in terms of achievements.

The Thais aim to reach the quarter-finals thanks to the home advantage, while Vietnam are only aiming for an honorable victory, possibly against Kenya.

But the difference in expectations is not to discourage, but to remind: Vietnamese volleyball is at the stage that Thailand has experienced. Learning from the neighbor is the shortest way to shorten the gap.

Thailand's success over the past two decades is a lesson for Vietnam. Photo: TVA

The Vietnam-Thailand regional rivalry can also create positive momentum. A stronger team will force the other team to try harder.

If Vietnam can take advantage of the "mirror" right next to it, its development will be faster than just looking at European or South American powers.

The 2025 World Championship, therefore, is not only a tournament to mark a historical milestone for Vietnam, but also an opportunity for us to directly observe the path that Thailand once took.

The Thai success is not a miracle, but the result of the right strategy.

That is what makes Vietnam's presence at this year's tournament have an additional value: the beginning of a journey of learning and shortening the distance.

Therefore, in the next decade, Vietnamese fans can hope that Thailand's story today will become Vietnam's story tomorrow.

Vietnamnet.vn

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/bong-chuyen-nu-viet-nam-vs-thai-lan-bai-hoc-tu-nguoi-hang-xom-2435161.html