Vietnamese women’s volleyball returns to world ranking with Asian title

The Vietnam national women’s volleyball team compete at the AVC Challenger Cup in June 2023. Photo by AVC

In September 2022, Vietnam were removed from the ranking of the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) for failing to compete in international tournaments.

On May 22, 2023, FIVB decided to give 50 points to participating teams in the 2023 Asian Women’s Volleyball Challenge Cup (AVC Challenge Cup) in Indonesia.

With 12 points before being removed from the ranking, Vietnam then had 62 points after participating in the AVC.

Vietnam won the tournament, going undefeated in six games, including five 3-0 victories. The title brought Vietnam an additional 12.28 points and helped them climb to 49th on world ranking.

Vietnam are now ranked sixth in Asia, after China, Japan, Thailand, South Korea and Kazakhstan.

According to head coach Nguyen Tuan Kiet, Vietnam’s volleyballers will have many opportunities to play against strong, experienced opponents in the near future.

Vietnam made multiple mistakes in the 2023 AVC Challenge Cup finals on Sunday. The pressure was immense as Indonesia had a home-field advantage.

But after two hours of playing time, Vietnam came back to win 3-2 and claim their first Asian title.

The title helped Vietnam qualify for the 2023 FIVB Challenger Cup in France from July 27 to 30. The winner of this tournament will qualify for the Volleyball Nations League, the globe’s most prestigious international tournament for national volleyball teams.