Women's volleyball wins Asian championship, men's team can hardly dream of miracle

If the Vietnamese women's volleyball team wins the AVC Nations Cup for three consecutive years, it is unlikely that the team will be able to create a surprise at the Asian tournament, taking place from June 17-24 in Bahrain.

Just a few days after the Vietnamese women's volleyball team successfully defended their championship title at the AVC Nations Cup 2025, the Vietnamese men's volleyball team officially entered the Asian tournament, with the opening match against New Zealand at 8:30 p.m. on June 18.

Compared to their female counterparts, the conquest of the continental playground for Vietnamese men is considered much more difficult. The fact that the Vietnamese women's volleyball team has won the AVC Nations Cup three times in a row is also creating pressure for the men's volleyball team.

Vietnam women's volleyball team won the AVC Nations Cup for three consecutive times. Photo: SN

This is the third time the Vietnamese men's volleyball team has participated in the AVC Nations Cup (formerly the AVC Challenge Cup). At the 2023 AVC Challenge Cup, Vietnam ranked 4th, and at the 2024 AVC Challenge Cup, it ranked 6th.

This year's tournament attracted 11 teams (Kazakhstan withdrew at the last minute), divided into 4 groups. The teams played a round robin to select the 2 teams with the best results to enter the quarterfinals. The Vietnamese men's volleyball team was in Group D with South Korea and New Zealand. Group A included: Bahrain, Indonesia, Thailand. Group B included Qatar and Australia. Group C included Pakistan, Taiwan (China) and the Philippines.

Vietnam men's volleyball team meets Korea in the opening match.

According to experts, the group of the Vietnamese men's volleyball team is "easier" than the other groups, but if they do not perform at their best, they may be eliminated early. In this group, besides Korea (ranked 27th in the world ), which is almost certain to be first and advance, the remaining ticket is the competition between Vietnam and New Zealand.

Thus, the result of the opening match will determine whether the Vietnamese men's volleyball team will advance or not. If they reach the quarterfinals, Ngoc Thuan and his teammates will face a real challenge when they can face the strongest teams in the continent.

At the AVC Nations Cup 2025, coach Tran Dinh Tien brought 14 players to Bahrain. With the opposite number Pham Van Hiep missing due to injury, the captaincy of the Vietnamese men's volleyball team was given to striker Quan Trong Nghia.

List of Vietnam men's volleyball team: Dinh Van Duy, Nguyen Ngoc Thuan, Tran Duy Tuyen, Truong The Khai, Phan Cong Duc, Cao Duc Hoang, Nguyen Thanh Hai, Trinh Duy Phuc, Hoang Xuan Truong, Che Quoc Lo Vit, Nguyen Van Quoc Duy, Duong Van Tien, Quan Trong Nghia, Pham Quoc Du.

Match schedule of Vietnam men's volleyball team

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/bong-chuyen-nu-vo-dich-chau-a-doi-nam-mo-ky-tich-2412464.html