Step one is not stable
The Vietnamese men's volleyball team closed stage 1 of SEA V.Cup 2026 with 1 win and 3 defeats. Coach Federico Rampazzo's team defeated Myanmar 3-0, but lost to Thailand 1-3 in the group stage, Indonesia 0-3 in the semi-finals and continued to lose 1-3 to Thailand in the third-place match.
In the opening match, Vietnam had good times against Thailand, pulling the first set to a score of 31-31 before losing 31-33. After that, the team played sublimely to win the second set 25-18. But from set 3, when the opponent increased pressure with a serve, Vietnam's playing system became unstable and lost 19-25, 16-25 respectively.
The most notable weakness is the ability to take the first pass. When the first pass does not reach the correct position, the setter must handle the ball in a difficult position. Fast coordination options with the middle blocker are limited, while the ball is often taken to the wing and easily readied by the opponent's block.
This problem continued to appear in the semi-final match against Indonesia. Vietnam chased well in set 1 and set 3, but could not maintain a stable attacking system. Indonesia effectively exploited Vietnam's serve reception to win 25-22, 25-20 and 25-22 respectively.
In the third-place match, Vietnam rematched Thailand and continued to lose 1-3. Compared to the group stage, the team still had 1 winning set and some stages played evenly with the opponent. However, when Thailand tightened the serving, blocking and defensive posture, Vietnam once again failed to maintain the game.
Two defeats with the same score of 1-3 against Thailand show that step one is not a temporary limit. This is a systematic issue, directly affecting the ability to organize the team's playing style.
Main frame not yet defined
The Vietnamese team has not yet formed a stable main squad. Coach Federico Rampazzo continuously rotates personnel to find suitable options.
In the setter position, Van Duy is used quite often but has not created a stable connection with the attacking spearheads. Choosing passes and distributing the ball at times is easy to read, especially when the first step is not favorable.
In attack, Ngoc Thuan is still the most anticipated hitter. Tang Ngoc Hieu also left a positive mark in his first time given the opportunity in the national team. However, no player has maintained enough performance to become a solid foundation throughout the matches.
The opposite hitter position has also not created the necessary breakthrough power. Quoc Du and Van Chuong are used alternately, even at many times, Ngoc Thuan is pushed to play opposite hitter but the attacking efficiency is not stable.
When the first pass is not good and fast attacking options are limited, the Vietnamese team lacks a hitter capable of solving difficult balls.
The 3-0 victory over Myanmar is a rare time when Vietnam's attacking system operates smoothly. Ngoc Thuan, Quoc Du and the remaining positions can deploy many scoring options.
But Myanmar has not created as much pressure as Thailand or Indonesia.
Lack of ability to maintain and end the game
Another limitation of the Vietnamese team is the ability to maintain form throughout the match. The team can play well in a set or in each stage, but has not maintained that pace against strong opponents.
In the first meeting with Thailand, Vietnam did not take advantage of the opportunity in set 1 even though they had put the match into a tense score series. After convincingly winning set 2, the team declined again in the next two sets.
Against Indonesia, Vietnam also chased to the end of set 1 and set 3 but lacked decisive handling. A similar scenario appeared in the third-place match, when the team had 1 winning set but was not stable enough to drag the match into set 5.
This limitation does not only come from psychology. When stepping one step erratically, the serve has not created pressure and lacks a reliable strike point, the ability to handle decisive points is naturally affected.
Besides, Vietnam's serving stage has not created commensurate pressure. When Thailand and Indonesia have a favorable first step, they can easily deploy many attacking directions. Vietnam's blocks are therefore often in a passive position, making it difficult to organize effective defense behind.
Stepping into stage 2, coach Federico Rampazzo continued to register 14 athletes. Compared to stage 1, the presence of Dinh Van Phuong and Tran Hoai Phuong brought more choices in two important positions: opposite hitter and setter.
Stage 2 will be an opportunity for the coaching staff to check the ability to adjust and soon shape the main framework.
To improve their performance, the Vietnamese team needs to stabilize step one, increase pressure from serves, improve the connection between setters and hitters and find an attacking spearhead capable of solving difficult times.
