After closing AVC Cup 2026 with a bronze medal, the Vietnamese women's volleyball team quickly entered the journey at SEA V.Cup 2026. Although not defending the Asian championship, the tournament in the Philippines still brought many positive signs, the most prominent of which was the performance of Tran Thi Thanh Thuy.
The captain of the Vietnamese team finished the tournament with 105 points, leading the scoring list and also being the most effective attacking athlete in the tournament. Meanwhile, setter Vo Thi Kim Thoa topped the statistics for assists, and middle blocker Tran Thi Bich Thuy was in the group of the best blockers.
The numbers show that Thanh Thuy is still the irreplaceable leader of the Vietnamese team. Every time the team encounters difficulties or needs a decisive point, the ball is often passed to the position of the main attacker born in 1997.
The ability to attack in both number 4 and the back row, along with rich international competition experience, helps Thanh Thuy always be the safest option in coach Nguyen Tuan Kiet's tactical operation.
However, being too dependent on one attacking spearhead is also a limitation that has been revealed at the AVC Cup. Against opponents with good blocking systems such as South Korea or Chinese Taipei, Thanh Thuy often faces double blocks, even triple blocks. At that time, the scoring efficiency of the Vietnamese team decreased significantly because other attack directions had not created enough pressure.
This becomes even more noteworthy when SEA V.Cup 2026 gathers familiar opponents such as Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines. In which, Thailand is still the team with the best defense and blocking system in the region, while Indonesia is increasingly improving its strength thanks to a physically strong playing style.
If opponents only need to focus on locking down Thanh Thuy without having to disperse forces for other attacking spearheads, the Vietnamese team will face many difficulties in deploying attacks.
Therefore, SEA V.Cup is not only a tournament aimed at achievements but also an opportunity for the coaching staff to verify the ability to share the burden of scoring points of the whole team.
In the main attacking position, Vi Thi Nhu Quynh is expected to continue to promote her scoring ability after an impressive domestic season. If she maintains stability in wing and rear attacks, she will become a counterweight to help Thanh Thuy significantly reduce the burden.
Besides, the middle blockers with Tran Thi Bich Thuy, Luu Thi Hue or Le Thanh Thuy also need to be effective in quick attacks.
At the AVC Cup, Bich Thuy has proven her ability to score points from central situations as well as blocking the ball, but the Vietnamese team still needs to maintain the frequency of exploiting this position more instead of pushing the ball too much to the two wings.
Another factor expected to make a difference is the coordination ability of setter Vo Thi Kim Thoa. Leading the tournament in the number of pass points reflects her quite diverse ball distribution ability. If she continues to maintain this pace, Kim Thoa can completely help the Vietnamese team's attack become more unpredictable, instead of just revolving around Thanh Thuy.
In fact, the successes of the Vietnamese team in the past few years have always come when the attack has many scoring points sharing the fire. At AVC Challenge Cup 2023 or AVC Nations Cup 2025, in addition to Thanh Thuy, there is also Nguyen Thi Bich Tuyen, other middle blockers and main attackers often score points at decisive moments, helping the team maintain balance in their playing style.
SEA V.Cup 2026 will therefore be an important measure before bigger goals in the year. Thanh Thuy is definitely still the number one star and the biggest support for the Vietnamese women's volleyball team.
However, to be strong enough to compete with Thailand and aim for continental tournaments, what the team needs is not a Thanh Thuy who scores a lot of points, but an attack that can shoulder responsibility together. Only when many attacking spearheads shine together, will the Vietnamese team have a sustainable solution to the problem that has existed for many years.
