The 2024 VTV Cup international women's volleyball tournament kicked off on August 24 at the Ninh Binh province gymnasium and will take place until August 31. This year's tournament has the participation of 8 teams including the Vietnamese women's volleyball team and 7 international teams.
In particular, this year is the 20th anniversary of the VTV Cup being held for the first time, since the 2004 VTV Cup took place at the Nam Dinh province gymnasium.
In its first organization, the international volleyball tournament created a great buzz and helped fans get to know a new generation of talented athletes with faces that later went down in the history of water volleyball. Families like Kim Hue, Ngoc Hoa, Pham Thi Yen, Dang Thi Hong, Tran Thi Hien...
After 20 years, the golden generation of the Vietnamese women's volleyball team that year has mostly retired, and the next generation of athletes also have many new achievements. However, the memories of the VTV Cup still clearly linger in the thoughts of the former players.
Talking to Lao Dong, former player Pham Thi Yen shared: "I am lucky, along with former teammates such as Ngoc Hoa, Kim Hue, Dang Thi Hong... to be in the squad of the Vietnamese women's volleyball team participating in the competition. Attended the first VTV Cup in 2004.
After 2 decades, I am still nervous and excited every time the VTV Cup starts. The feeling when going out to watch the opening ceremony as well as the matches is very difficult to describe. I'm still a little nervous like when I was competing and participating in the VTV Cup."
This year, the VTV Cup returns to the Ninh Binh province gymnasium - the ancient capital known as a place with fans who are always enthusiastic about volleyball. In Pham Thi Yen's memory, the 2013 VTV Cup that she attended, held in this very locality, left many unforgettable emotions.
"In the 2013 VTV Cup, a very special match took place, which was the semi-final between the Vietnamese women's volleyball team and the Shandong club (China). Both teams drew 2-2 and entered the set. The 5th decisive match will determine the winner or loser.
At that time, both Vietnam and the Shandong team gave the fans of Ninh Binh province in particular and the national audience in general a dramatic match as the two fought for each point point by point.
In the end, we won that year in an extremely tense and breathtaking match to enter the finals. It was a very emotional match that I will never forget," former player Pham Thi Yen recalled.
VTV Cup 2024 will take place in 8 days and is expected to leave a good impression in the eyes of Vietnamese fans as well as international friends.
Above all, this will be a tournament that helps Vietnamese women's volleyball players get closer to their fans, thereby creating a premise for each player, especially young faces, to continue to shine and contribute. on the future achievements of Vietnamese women's volleyball.
