Although the striker is playing in Japan, domestic volleyball fans still hope to be able to watch her play in May in Vietnam.
The first winner of the 2025 Victory Cup
Tran Thi Thanh Thuy was officially announced by the Organizing Committee of the 2025 Victory Cup Award to win the category of Most Favorite Athlete by Fans. The 2025 Victory Cup Award will honor and award individuals on January 29th.
For Tran Thi Thanh Thuy personally, it is the second time she has won the above title at the Victory Cup Award. This is also the first time a volleyball player has been honored to receive this title twice. Previously, she had won the Most Favorite Athlete category of the 2023 Victory Cup.
Statistics from the Organizing Committee of this award show that Tran Thi Thanh Thuy is the only athlete (as of this time) to have won the above category twice. The Victory Cup award of Vietnamese Sports was born in 2015. Through votes to date (in 2025), the Athlete category that is most loved by fans always has a change of winner.
Being the first athlete to win in two categories has confirmed that Tran Thi Thanh Thuy always receives the trust and love of Vietnamese sports fans. Because, the winner of the category is the athlete with the most votes from fans through the system of the Organizing Committee.
In terms of personal image, Tran Thi Thanh Thuy has been a prominent face of Vietnamese women's volleyball for many years. Especially in 2025, she continued to maintain stable form and compete in Japan, winning many valuable titles with the Vietnam Women's Volleyball Team. The image of Tran Thi Thanh Thuy sobbing after the Vietnam Women's Volleyball Team lost 2-3 to Thailand in the final of SEA Games 33 and missed the opportunity to win the Gold Medal is still a touching moment that the media and experts repeat many times when discussing the past Games in Thailand.
Right on the SEA Games 33 arena at that time, Thanh Thuy received enthusiastic cheers from a large number of Vietnamese spectators present in Thailand as well as home fans who loved her. The proof is that after each match, Thanh Thuy is always the last player to return to the moving car of the Vietnamese women's volleyball team.
Because, the audience often surrounds Thanh Thuy to interact and take souvenir photos with her idol. In each of those moments, Thanh Thuy is always willing to stay for a long time, taking pictures with fans.
Professionalism is still the deciding factor
Coach Nguyen Tuan Kiet is a person who understands Tran Thi Thanh Thuy's performance in 2025 because he has closely followed this main attacker in all tournaments where strikers are concentrated. Remember at SEA Games 33, coach Nguyen Tuan Kiet shared that: "Thanh Thuy's performance is one of the decisive factors in the performance results of the Vietnamese women's volleyball team. This year, the player has achieved the best physical condition, so we have implemented the tactics we have built.
Tran Thi Thanh Thuy rarely shares information with the media. One of the rare times she answered the press about SEA Games 33 in Thailand when attending the Games, the main attacker of the Vietnamese women's volleyball team said that she prioritizes focusing maximum on physical preparation to achieve the highest form. Leaving SEA Games 33, Thanh Thuy returned to Japan and continued to compete. Fans still see her playing stably, regularly playing in important matches of the Gunma Green Wings Team (Japan).
Tran Thi Thanh Thuy will return to VTV Binh Dien Long An Team at what time is still a plan not shared in the media. However, head coach Nguyen Thi Ngoc Hoa and the coaching staff of VTV Binh Dien Long An Team are expecting this main attacker to return home in May 2026 to participate in the VTV9 - Binh Dien 2026 International Women's Volleyball Cup. The tournament needs qualified stars to create an attraction for fans. Therefore, it is understandable that Tran Thi Thanh Thuy is being expected by everyone.
Coach Nguyen Tuan Kiet has begun to develop a preparation plan for the Vietnam Women's Volleyball Team in 2026. Surely, Tran Thi Thanh Thuy will still be the main striker this year. According to the preliminary program, many international tournaments such as: Asian Championship 2026, ASIAD 20 or SEA V.League 2026 will be the focus of Vietnamese women's volleyball players.
Tran Thi Thanh Thuy has played prominently at the 2024 Asian Championship and ASIAD 19. She is one of the pillars with form, experience and modern football thinking that the Vietnam Women's Volleyball Team possesses. Therefore, the Vietnam Volleyball Federation and coach Nguyen Tuan Kiet believe that Tran Thi Thanh Thuy will be in high form to play explosively this year.
Still wanting, still competing
In the squad of 14 Vietnamese women's volleyball players participating in SEA Games 33 in Thailand recently, Tran Thi Thanh Thuy is one of the oldest and most experienced strikers. This year, she will enter the age of 29. And next year, Thanh Thuy will reach the age of 30. Age partly directly determines the performance of players in volleyball.
In particular, players playing in the main attacking position always need twice the mobility of those in other positions because playing the role of main scorer, physical strength is always a top priority. Tran Thi Thanh Thuy once said that she is always eager to play in many professional volleyball environments to help herself learn and accumulate more expertise.
That is why Thanh Thuy tries to have opportunities to play officially abroad. Currently, Tran Thi Thanh Thuy is the only Vietnamese female volleyball player with contracts playing in Japan for many times. This main attacker started playing in Japan in 2019 (wearing the Denso Airybees team) and is now playing for the Gunma Green Wings team.
Remember at SEA Games 33 from the sharing of a reporter from a prestigious Thai sports newspaper, many people knew that Thai volleyball experts were very attentive to Tran Thi Thanh Thuy. She is considered the main strength of the Vietnamese women's volleyball team. Therefore, in every match, Thai media always closely follows the performance of the captain of the Vietnamese volleyball team to have the most updated information.
The form and expertise of the number one main attacker of Vietnamese women's volleyball have been affirmed throughout many past seasons. Thanh Thuy has maintained the trust of fans thanks to her style and professionalism in training and competition. Never before has the audience seen Thanh Thuy compete professionally with a superficial spirit on the field.
She once shared that she built a consciousness about the profession that when you go to compete, you must do your best. This year, fans are still waiting to see Thanh Thuy's powerful hits on the field to have the opportunity to give her the biggest rounds of applause to cheer for her.
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