Championship team and cautious runner-up
The defending national champions Bien Phong MB and the national runner-up The Cong Tan Cang confirmed that they will continue to hire foreign players to participate in round 1 of the 2026 National Club Championship. Currently, the 2 military volleyball teams are highly appreciated for their expertise. Because each team owns a squad of domestic players with good technique. However, coaches Tran Dinh Tien (Bien Phong MB) and Thai Anh Van (The Cong Tan Cang) still need foreign players.
In the final round of the 2025 National Championship, Bien Phong MB team used foreign player Jakkrit Thanomnoi (Thailand) while The Cong Tan Cang team had striker Rivan (Indonesia). They helped their team reach the final and achieved the expected results. However, no team has officially identified a foreign player this year.
Representatives of the MB Border Guard team once said: "We will consider finding foreign players suitable for the squad. In addition, the hiring of foreign players must also be suitable for the budget that the team has". Meanwhile, player Rivan is playing in the Thai National Championship. Currently, the Border Guard team has not yet specifically revealed whether this hitter will be able to come to Vietnam in April to compete in the first round of the 2026 National Club Championship.
Round 1 of this year's tournament will be round robin. Each team will play 7 matches. Therefore, we understand that no team wants to be careless and lose points because each point is important and will have a direct impact on round 2 of the tournament" - a representative of the Professional Board of the Vietnam Volleyball Federation once shared.
Difficult to have a "blockbuster" in round 1.
According to records, 8 teams (Bien Phong MB, The Cong Tan Cang, LPBank Ninh Binh, Ho Chi Minh City Police, Hanoi, Da Nang, Sanest Khanh Hoa, Ho Chi Minh City) all have plans to hire foreign players to strengthen. However, no team has revealed that they can strengthen 2 foreign strikers.
Last year, the Ho Chi Minh City Police team had an important contract to bring foreign player Kubiak (Poland) to Vietnam to play right from round 1. At that time, experts and fans considered this a "blockbuster" transfer. The transfer value of this player was once reported by insiders to be up to billions of VND. Kubiak's reputation and level shown in Vietnam made everyone admire and follow.
This year, the selection of foreign players in each team also depends on funding. Sanest Khanh Hoa men's team used to have a strong socialization source, so they built a team with uniform expertise and hired good foreign players to participate in previous seasons. Now, coach Ngo Van Kieu and his team only have just enough resources, so they have to find foreign players at a cost that can be paid.
LPBank Ninh Binh team used to hire Cuban foreign player Yaisel Puñales Mendieta and Thai player Napadet Bhinijdee in each round of the 2025 National Championship. This year, this team is carefully calculating to find suitable players to hire based on financial conditions. Through research, LPBank Ninh Binh team will find a foreign player in a country in Asia.
Funding is the deciding factor in hiring foreign players. Therefore, experts are predicting that in the men's content of round 1 of this year's tournament, strikers with billion-dong contracts are unlikely to appear. From the experience of hiring foreign players and the professional reality of each player who was invited to compete last year, the coaching staff have learned from experience for themselves.
The Hanoi men's team has early revealed that they have reached an agreement with Cambodian player Kuon Mom to come to Vietnam in April. The hitter is not too outstanding in Southeast Asian volleyball. Therefore, the transfer fee is reasonable. Although Kuon Mom is not a "blockbuster", the coaching staff of the Hanoi men's team finds it suitable because it integrates with the playing style, helping to achieve the required achievements.
