Expectations high for Vietnamese Women’s Volleyball

The Vietnamese women’s volleyball team at the Asian Games 2023. — Photo thethaovanhoa.vn

Volleyball

HÀ NỘI — The impressive achievements of the Vietnamese women’s volleyball team in 2023 have filled them with confidence as they head into important tournaments in 2024.

Fans have high expectations for the team, hoping they will surpass their limits and achieve new milestones for Vietnamese women’s volleyball.

The team had a remarkable performance at the 2023 Victory Cup, winning four out of the eleven awards. They were honoured with the “Best Team of the Year” award, surpassing the women’s football team and the national 3×3 women’s basketball team. Additionally, coach Nguyễn Tuấn Kiệt and attacker Trần Thị Thanh Thúy received the “Best Coach of the Year” and “Best Female Athlete of the Year” awards, respectively. Thúy also won the “Most Popular Athlete” award.

These achievements are well-deserved after the Vietnamese women’s volleyball team’s successes in 2023, where they won the AVC Challenger Cup and the Asian Women’s Club Volleyball Championship for the first time. The team also took part in the FIVB Challenger Cup world tournament and the world women’s clubs tournament and won the silver medal at SEA Games 32 plus achieved a historic fourth-place finish at the Asian Games and the Asian Championship.

The team’s participation in prestigious international tournaments and their impressive results showcase the rising ability of Vietnamese women’s volleyball. While maintaining their achievements and positions in the Asian and world rankings is not easy, their valuable experiences undoubtedly contribute to the team’s confidence as they prepare for important tournaments in 2024.

According to the Việt Nam Volleyball Federation, the national women’s volleyball team will feature in four major tournaments this year, the AVC Challenge Cup 2024 in May, SEA V-League 2024 in August, VTV Cup in August, and the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in Thailand in November.

Vietnamese women’s volleyball is striving to expand its reach and aims to professionalise the organisation and competition quality. The national volleyball championship was established in 2004, signifying the sport’s potential and positioning it as one of the most important and attractive sports in Việt Nam.

2024 is a crucial year for the national volleyball championship, as the Việt Nam Volleyball Federation (VVF) aims to perfect its expertise and organise a national championship in 2025 with eight women’s teams of the highest quality. This step forward for Vietnamese volleyball will provide stable opportunities for teams to invest in development and showcase players with the highest level of expertise, thereby contributing quality players to the national team.

A positive sign for women’s volleyball is that the VVF sent a young women’s volleyball team to participate in the 2024 Asian U20 Championship. Plans are also underway for the national youth volleyball team to return after a four-year absence. Furthermore, the VVF will organise three youth tournaments in 2024, including the national youth championship, national youth club championship, and national U23 youth championship.

The regulations of the 2024 National Volleyball Championship also stipulate that teams competing in the national championship without a youth team participating in the youth tournament must compete in the national Class A tournament in 2025. Therefore, it is necessary for volleyball managers to prioritise youth training at various units and localities and provide ample opportunities for young players to participate.

After the “golden generation” of players such as Ngọc Hoa, Kim Huệ, Bùi Thị Huệ, and Đinh Diệu Châu, Vietnamese women’s volleyball has entered a second “golden generation,” which includes outstanding players like Thanh Thúy, Kiều Trinh, and Lâm Oanh. These players have gone abroad to hone their skills and have achieved success in top volleyball tournaments such as the Japanese and Thai championships. With visionary development strategies and the players’ efforts and determination, Vietnamese women’s volleyball hopes to achieve new successes this year.

A strong desire to excel at SEA Games

The Vietnamese women’s volleyball team last reached the final at the SEA Games in May 2023 in Cambodia. The men’s team reached the SEA Games final during SEA Games 31 held in May 2022 in Việt Nam. Both the Vietnamese men’s and women’s volleyball teams are consistently among the top three teams in Southeast Asia.

In reality, over the past 15 years, the Vietnamese women’s volleyball team has regularly reached the SEA Games finals, while the men’s volleyball team has often competed for runner-up or third-place rankings. The Thai team has consistently been a formidable opponent for the women’s volleyball team, while the men’s volleyball team has faced tough competition from Indonesia and Thailand.

Vietnamese volleyball sees 2024 as a pivotal year to prepare for key goals in 2025, including the SEA Games 33 in Thailand with the aim of capturing the gold medals.

Lê Trí Trường, general secretary of the VVF, said volleyball teams in Southeast Asia have shown positive improvements in their expertise. Việt Nam must also prepare diligently to ensure successful performances. While there are many Vietnamese volleyball players with excellent professional qualifications, Việt Nam still needs to make thorough preparations to fully unleash their abilities. — VNS