Normally, teams are looking to hire foreign players for the main striker or opposite setter position, but the case of Tran Thi Bich Thuy is quite an exception. She plays as a middle blocker.
If Tran Thi Bich Thuy goes to Japan to compete in the near future ( many predict that it will be the Okayama Seagulls team), she will have the opportunity to receive a good salary to help ensure her expertise.
Data released by Salary Expert channel shows that the average salary for new players (experimental from 1-3 years) in Japan is about 2.4 million yen/year (more than 493 million VND).
The salary for players who regularly compete is about 3.6 million yen/year (more than 662 million VND). Professional players (over 8 years of competition) have an average salary of over 4.4 million yen/year (over 800 million VND).
The salary of Okayama Seagulls players has not been officially announced in Japanese media. However, the Japanese press affirmed that the salary of each player will change depending on the position, experience and reputation of the team. In particular, famous players have higher than average incomes.
Tran Thi Bich Thuy is currently a player of the current national runner-up team Duc Giang Chemicals. In 2022, she was awarded an apartment (worth about 700 - 800 million VND) by the President of the football team, businessman Dao Huu Huyen to recognize her achievement of winning the silver medal at the 31st SEA Games with the Vietnam Women's Volleyball Team.
Duc Giang Chemicals is one of the women's volleyball teams that maintain stable income, ensuring the lives of players from the youth team to the big team.
In early 2025, Bich Thuy played for GS Caltex Seoul Kixx (Korea) and then returned to Duc Giang Chemicals to participate in the first phase of the 2025 National Volleyball Championship.
Bich Thuy's contract in Korea will last for 3 months (from January to March 2025). The parties did not disclose the contract value. Bich Thuy's salary in Korea is also kept secret.
Korean media once shared the income of volleyball players at this national men's and women's championship. In the 2024-2025 season, the average salary of female players is about 100,000 USD/season (more than 2.6 billion VND).
From the 2025-2026 season, the average salary of female players will increase to 125,000 USD/season (more than 3.2 billion VND) and highly skilled foreign players can receive a salary of 300,000 USD/season (more than 5.2 billion VND).
Before Tran Thi Bich Thuy, the first striker of the Vietnamese women's volleyball team to compete abroad was Nguyen Thi Ngoc Hoa. Currently, Ngoc Hoa is the head coach of VTV Binh Dien Long An team.
