Playing style, forces simultaneously encounter problems
Vietnamese women's volleyball closed ASIAD 20 with 7th place overall, lower than the top 4 target set before the tournament. This result extends a year of competition that did not meet the expectations of coach Nguyen Tuan Kiet's team in regional and continental tournaments.
At ASIAD 20, Vietnam opened with two 3-0 victories over Qatar and Hong Kong (China), then successively lost to South Korea (group stage), China (quarter-finals) and Indonesia (ranked 5-8). In the 7th place match, coach Nguyen Tuan Kiet's team defeated Kazakhstan 3-0 to close the tournament.
In addition to ASIAD 20, since the beginning of 2026, the team has not had a performance that met expectations. At the AVC Cup - a tournament where Vietnam has won 3 consecutive times, Thanh Thuy and her teammates only won a Bronze medal. At the SEA V.Cup, Vietnam finished second in stage 1 before losing all 3 matches in stage 2. At the Asian Championship, the Vietnamese women's team only had one victory.
Besides losing to top opponents such as China, Japan or South Korea, Vietnam even lost to Indonesia or the Philippines. This shows that the gap between Vietnam and the competing group in the region is narrowing, while the team has not maintained the necessary stability.
One of the obvious limitations at ASIAD 20 is the quality of step one. When the opponent puts pressure from the kicks, the team has difficulty putting the ball in a favorable position for the setter. From there, attacking options become more predictable.
The 2nd and 4th wing attacks were often closely followed by the opponent's block. Vietnam had to strengthen fast attacking situations in position number 3, thereby creating more room for attacking midfielders like Bich Thuy to perform. However, when the opponent read the game, the attacking efficiency also decreased accordingly.
The defensive ability of the rear line has also not created stability. The team has had times of maintaining the game, but it is difficult to maintain intensity for a long time, especially when facing teams with strong serving and attacking capabilities.
The tactical issue is also related to the personnel problem. The Vietnamese women's team does not have the best force this year when Nguyen Thi Trinh or Hoang Thi Kieu Trinh are absent for injury treatment. After that, Vi Thi Nhu Quynh left the team for personal reasons and Nguyen Thi Uyen suffered an injury at the Asian tournament. Consecutive fluctuations make it difficult for the team to maintain a stable framework through tournaments.
Tran Thi Thanh Thuy also did not achieve the expected performance at ASIAD 20. Previously, this main attacker had experienced a dense schedule in the Gunma Green Wings, VTV Binh Dien Long An and national team jerseys. Having to continuously play an important role makes maintaining physical condition a problem.
Other key players such as Kim Thoa, Bich Thuy, Khanh Dang also achieve high performance throughout. When the force lacks depth and key players are not in the best condition, it is difficult for the team to maintain stability through each match.
Bright spots from young factors
In the middle of the season with many unexpected results, the appearance of a group of young players is a rare bright spot. Main attacker Pham Quynh Huong, although participating in ASIAD for the first time at the age of 18, played an important role. She scored 15 points in the match against Qatar, 14 points against Hong Kong (China) and 17 points when facing South Korea. In total, Quynh Huong has 46 points and leads the scoring list in the group stage.
In the 7th place match against Kazakhstan, the young player continued to score 18 points. These numbers prove that Quynh Huong was not only brought onto the field to accumulate experience, but also has the ability to take on part of the attacking task in the squad.
Bui Thi Anh Thao - 17 years old was also given a chance at ASIAD 20. The appearance of the young hitter helps the coaching staff have more options to allocate attacking power instead of completely relying on players who have played for the national team for many years.
This is the basis for Vietnamese women's volleyball to continue investing in the next generation. Quynh Huong, Anh Thao and other young players like Yen Nhi need more time to compete at a high level to accumulate experience and improve their competitiveness for positions.
