3 years of surprise
Closing the women's content of the 2024 National Volleyball Championship on the evening of November 17 in Lao Cai, the organizing committee announced Vo Thi Kim Thoa as the player to receive the individual title: Best Setter. With this title, Vo Thi Kim Thoa became the first player in the history of the National Volleyball Championship to receive the above title for 3 consecutive years. She was awarded the above title in the 2022 and 2023 seasons.
Right on the field in Lao Cai, Vo Thi Kim Thoa confided: “I was really surprised because I didn’t think I would achieve such an individual title. This year, many players played well in the setter position. I am really happy with this award and see it as recognition for my efforts with the VTV Binh Dien Long An team.”
Over the past 3 years, Vo Thi Kim Thoa's progress has been evident. The point that experts have evaluated in the progress as well as the positive professional changes in this player is shown from the fact that VTV Binh Dien Long An team changes the coaching staff every year (in 2022, the head coach is Ms. Luong Nguyen Ngoc Hien; in 2023, the head coach is Mr. Le Thai Binh; in 2024, the head coach is Mr. Thai Quang Lai). However, Kim Thoa has not been affected much. "I always know that the setter position is the most important position in the team. If I cannot maintain stable professional skills, the team will be significantly affected," Kim Thoa added.
Kim Thoa rarely appears in the media because she doesn't know what to say and is afraid of attention from everyone. However, when talking and sharing, this girl from Long An always has open stories. Kim Thoa said that she feels confident through each competition season and always sets goals to create motivation and get the best results. For that reason, Kim Thoa herself sees positive changes in her expertise in 3 seasons competing in all tournaments of top volleyball.
Holding the Gold Medal (award for the 2024 National Champion), Kim Thoa smiled and said that the whole team had been waiting for this result for the past 6 years. “Through each tournament, I have gained more experience for myself. This year, before entering the second stage of the tournament, I was professionally prepared by the coaching staff, so I entered the field quite confidently,” said the captain of VTV Binh Dien Long An.
Waiting for the opportunity to succeed in SEA Games
Kim Thoa has only participated in the SEA Games with the Vietnam Women's Volleyball Team once. She is an official member of the Vietnam Women's Volleyball Team that competed and won the Silver Medal at the 32nd SEA Games held last year in Cambodia. Kim Thoa was once called up to the Vietnam Women's Volleyball Team to prepare for the 31st SEA Games, which will be played in 2022 at home. At the last minute, head coach Thai Thanh Tung did not register her in the list of 14 official players. But for Kim Thoa, missing the opportunity to compete in the 31st SEA Games has further motivated her to improve her skills.
Since SEA Games 32 until now, when coach Nguyen Tuan Kiet took on the role of head coach of the Vietnam Women's Volleyball Team, Vo Thi Kim Thoa is the player he always calls to practice.
In 2023, in addition to the 32nd SEA Games runner-up, Kim Thoa also achieved the best results with the Vietnam Women's Volleyball Team. In 2024, achievements still came to her, especially the championship of the 2024 AVC Challenge Cup Volleyball Tournament and third place in the 2024 FIVB Challenge Cup Volleyball Tournament.
“I hope I still have the opportunity to continue to focus on the Vietnam Women's Volleyball Team to prepare for the 33rd SEA Games next year. The SEA Games arena is always the place where we women's volleyball players compete with the highest determination, looking for opportunities to conquer it. Because our women's volleyball team has never won a Gold Medal,” Kim Thoa added about her goal.
Many people have said that the Vietnamese national team always has fierce competition and any player who does not achieve his best performance can be eliminated. Kim Thoa understands that. But above all, when a team practices together professionally, this setter is very sociable with everyone.
It is rare for teammates to see Kim Thoa showing her temper because she said that her personality is like that, if she is not satisfied with something, she will keep quiet and rarely argue. Kim Thoa is the one who maintains harmony with her teammates. However, there are times when this player does not shed tears, but there are always times when tears fall because of emotion in many important victories that Kim Thoa won with VTV Binh Dien Long An Team in some tournaments.
I have many goals ahead.
Vo Thi Kim Thoa started practicing sports and women's volleyball at the end of 2009. She shared that at that time she was still in high school in her hometown of Long An. Because of her height, the school's physical education teachers told her to try sports, and it happened that the coach of the Long An Sports Gifted School was looking for talented athletes, so Kim Thoa started practicing sports.
Now, everyone sees a calm setter Vo Thi Kim Thoa with many tactical adjustments to help her teammates hit the ball to score accurately. Back in the day, when she first started playing volleyball, Kim Thoa did not start out as a setter. She said she got to know all the positions on the court. “When I practiced the setter position, I found myself suitable. At that time, the teachers officially trained me professionally in this position,” Kim Thoa said.
Just like that, little Kim Thoa trained from the gifted level and then moved up to the youth level of VTV Binh Dien Long An Women's Volleyball while gradually accumulating more expertise. In 2016, the decisive turning point came to Vo Thi Kim Thoa. She was added to the squad by the first-line coaching staff of VTV Binh Dien Long An. From that time until now, Kim Thoa has affirmed her expertise and is always the main player on the field.
At the age of 26, Kim Thoa is one of the most experienced setters in Vietnam Women's Volleyball. However, she asserts that her professional ability, accumulation, and experience through many tournaments are still too modest compared to other players. "I always encourage myself to practice hard, and when I compete in many tournaments, I gain more experience for myself," Kim Thoa analyzed.
Having participated in international tournaments with the Vietnam Women's Volleyball Team in 2023 and 2024, Vo Thi Kim Thoa has not been a regular player in the lineup that coach Nguyen Tuan Kiet arranged. But if you pay attention, you will see that in many decisive situations where a difficult serve is needed, changing the ball to score for the Vietnam Women's Volleyball Team, Mr. Kiet always puts Kim Thoa on the field.
The 2024 National Championship is the biggest goal that Vo Thi Kim Thoa has achieved this year. At the arena after the final match, Kim Thoa said that she immediately called home to celebrate with her family, but after a short break, she will continue to return to practice and maintain her expertise in the near future.
