The 2025 National Volleyball Championship has ended with two familiar names stepping up to the highest title, VTV Binh Dien Long An (women's event) and Border Guard (men's event). Both teams have successfully defended their title they won in 2024, showing impressive stability.
However, the fact that champions repeat their achievements also raises the question: Is the competitiveness of the tournament declining?
In the women's event, the 4 strongest teams participating in the semi-finals are VTV Binh Dien Long An, LPB Ninh Binh, Vietinbank and the Information Corps. In particular, Vietinbank's return to the top 4 after many years of absence is a positive signal for the diversity of the force.
However, this team quickly fell to VTV Binh Dien Long An - a much more experienced and brave opponent. Meanwhile, the shock occurred when the Information Corps failed LPB Ninh Binh, especially when the ancient capital team was in disarray in the second phase due to the absence of the main striker Bich Tuyen.
The women's final match was dramatic as VTV Binh Dien Long An was always in a position to chase. LPB Ninh Binh played well, taking a 2-1 lead and getting 3 match-points in set 4. But at the decisive moment, the bravery of the Western representative spoke up. Long An excellently saved the danger, won set 4 and then won set 5 to complete the comeback 3-2, successfully defending the national championship.
In the men's event, a similar scenario also happened. Border Guard is a team with a deep squad and many national players, defeating LPB Ninh Binh in the semi-finals and The Cong Tan Cang in the final to continue to maintain the throne.
Despite having difficulty at some points when the opponent was strong, Border Guard still showed class in decisive plays, especially in their ability to cling to the net and score from the back.
With a squad of quality players, a systematic training system and a coaching staff of many years, the two current champions are showing that they are at "another level" compared to the rest.
Many people say that the captaincy is too big for new coach Nguyen Thi Ngoc Hoa. However, experience from the field itself helped her breathe life into the playing style of VTV Binh Dien Long An and know how to encourage her students in decisive moments.
However, it is also necessary to recognize that the tournament still has surprising factors. That was the rise of Vietinbank, Duc Giang Chemicals lost itself or LPB Ninh Binh's performance despite not having the strongest squad.
In the men's event, The Cong Tan Cang is rebuilding its force and being competitive in the near future. Those signals show that the gap is not unstoppable.
However, to improve competitiveness, the remaining teams need to invest more in youth training, recruiting quality foreign players and especially maintaining stability. The national volleyball championship is only really attractive when the throne is unpredictable, not in the hands of a few familiar names over the years.
