The Vietnam women's volleyball team is actively preparing for the match against Kenya in the final match of Group G, the 2025 World Volleyball Championship. Coach Nguyen Tuan Kiet's team is highly determined and aims to win against this opponent.
One of the players who receives a lot of expectations in the squad of the Vietnam women's volleyball team is captain Tran Thi Thanh Thuy. The 1997-born hitter is also the most outstanding player of Vietnam in this year's tournament after two matches.
After her injury, Thanh Thuy can no longer maintain her high form as in 2023, but she is still a very important card, playing excellently in both defense and attack.
In the match against Poland, Thanh Thuy retreated to the back, taking on the role of first striker and defending for Vi Thi Nhu Quynh to play the main attacker. Along with Khanh Dang, Thanh Thuy played aggressively and defended well. Because she is a prominent face of the team, she was closely followed by her opponents, leading to only scoring 6 points.
However, in the second match against Germany, Thanh Thuy proved her role and class. When the team had difficulty in attack, the hitter of VTV Binh Dien Long An team was brought back to play in the familiar main striker position. Thanh Thuy played brilliantly, scoring both on the wing and behind the 3m line.
In addition, the first-step and defense are still maintained stably by the captain of the Vietnam women's volleyball team. Against Germany, Thanh Thuy scored 17 points. According to statistics from Volleyball World, Thanh Thuy surpassed all the stars of the German women's team to become the player with the highest score in the match.
According to coach Nguyen Tuan Kiet, Thanh Thuy always does her job well no matter where she plays. Before that, she scored many points because she played in her forte and received many of the best passes. It was the adjustment in the match against Germany, bringing Thanh Thuy to the familiar attacking role that helped her shine, while bringing efficiency to the team.
Since 2024, Thanh Thuy's performance has been greatly affected after a period of knee injury. In addition, after the service of excellent opposite setter Nguyen Thi Bich Tuyen, Thanh Thuy retreated to the back row, supporting her teammates in the first step and defense. This is also part of the reason why the 1997-born hitter did not shine much in an attacking role.
At the 2025 World Championship, the Vietnam women's volleyball team will not have the service of opposite setter Bich Tuyen. Meanwhile, Thanh Thuy is the leader in both expertise and spirit for the whole team.
Through the tournament, Thanh Thuy has proven her important and classy role as a top volleyball player in Vietnam. She will be an important locomotive in the journey with the Vietnam women's volleyball team towards the victory over Kenya, taking place on August 27.
