Be cautious of targets
SEA Games 33 has closed. Right at the beginning of 2026, the professional plan of the national sports teams began to be developed for the key task of ASIAD 20. The sports departments (Vietnam Department of Physical Education and Sports) have reported on preparations for this Games, in which volleyball continues to have ASIAD 20 competition plans. The professional plan just briefly reported helps the leaders of the Vietnam Department of Physical Education and Sports grasp the participation possibilities for Vietnamese volleyball at ASIAD 20 and the focus is still on prioritizing the presence of the Vietnamese women's volleyball team.
The Vietnamese women's volleyball team achieved 4th place at ASIAD 19 held in 2023 in Hangzhou (China). The team will continue to be focused on training in 2026 and strive to maintain their previous achievements at ASIAD 19. That is, coach Nguyen Tuan Kiet's team needs to find a chance to reach the semi-finals in Japan this year.
The Vietnam Volleyball Federation still trusts the professional coaching work of head coach Nguyen Tuan Kiet. This coach continues to take on the position of head coach of the women's national team this year.
The positive change in spirit and competitive ability to achieve achievements of the Vietnamese women's volleyball team in international tournaments in 2025 has reflected that we are making great progress compared to before. In particular, the Vietnamese women's volleyball team has surpassed Southeast Asia to compete in the 2025 World Cup for the first time. After the 2025 World Cup, coach Nguyen Tuan Kiet once cautiously shared with the media in Thailand that: "After the tournament, the coaching staff and players will learn from experience to have better preparation and overcome the imperfections. The World Cup has helped athletes mature a lot.
What lessons to learn
The Professional Committee of the Vietnam Volleyball Federation worked on January 11. This is considered the most thorough working session to draw experience as well as see the problems of the Vietnamese volleyball teams in the past time, especially the results of competing in SEA Games 33.
The Vietnamese women's volleyball team showed good professionalism and achieved many results. However, there is no reason not to learn from experience. The journey of ASIAD 20 will be different from SEA Games 33. Therefore, the exchanges of the Professional Board of the Vietnam Volleyball Federation are considered the basis for management levels to calculate more appropriate investment to help coaches and athletes maintain their achievements in 2026.
Vietnamese women's volleyball has gathered more than 40 players in 2 training and international competition phases in 2025. All international tournaments as well as all trained players are aimed at the task of preparing to win the number one position at SEA Games 33. We have had the opportunity to realize the dream of winning the Gold Medal at the Southeast Asian Games, but missed the decisive point at the SEA Games 33 final. The Vietnamese women's volleyball team is still the runner-up of the SEA Games. However, the professional gap between the Vietnamese women's volleyball team and Thailand has narrowed. However, managers still have to build a long-term development roadmap. After ASIAD 20, everyone is back in the SEA Games 34 preparation phase in 2027.
This year, the Vietnam Women's Volleyball Team will also participate in the 2026 Asian Championship. The results and position in this tournament will also reflect part of our professional capacity in the face of the Asian Volleyball Championship. In the final FIVB rankings in 2025, the Vietnam Women's Volleyball Team ranked 28th. With Asian teams, coach Nguyen Tuan Kiet's team is currently ranked 4th, after teams from Japan, China, and Thailand. It is expected that the Vietnam Women's Volleyball Team will start the training program at the end of April 2026.
