On the evening of July 26, the Vietnamese men's volleyball team defeated Thailand in the final of leg 2 of SEA V.Cup 2026 in Jakarta, Indonesia. This result helped coach Federico Rampazzo's team win a leg of the Southeast Asian men's volleyball tournament for the first time.
According to the regulations of the Asian Volleyball Federation, the champion of each leg of the men's SEA V.Cup 2026 event will win a spot to participate in the AVC Cup 2027. Therefore, along with the historic title, Ngoc Thuan and his teammates have officially brought home a ticket to participate in the continental arena next year.
This is a noteworthy step forward for Vietnamese men's volleyball. Before this season, the team's best achievement at the SEA V.Cup was winning twice the runner-up position in stage 2 in 2023 and 2025. At the AVC Cup 2026 held in India, Vietnam also did not have a spot to participate.
The journey to the championship stage 2 of the Vietnamese team is not easy. In the group stage, coach Federico Rampazzo's team lost to Thailand 2-3 despite leading in two sets, then overcame Myanmar 3-0 to win the right to the semi-finals with second place in Group B.
In the semi-finals, the Vietnamese team surprised by defeating host Indonesia 3-1. After losing the first set, the Vietnamese players won 3 consecutive sets thanks to their ability to serve to put pressure, effectively block the ball and balanced attacking play.
In the final match, Vietnam rematched Thailand and successfully avenged the debt in the group stage, thereby completing a memorable journey in Jakarta.
Thus, Southeast Asia has 3 representatives qualified to participate in AVC Cup 2027 through SEA V.Cup 2026, which are Cambodia and Vietnam. Cambodia won tickets after winning stage 1 in the Philippines, Vietnam has a spot to participate thanks to winning stage 2, and Indonesia participates as the defending champion of AVC Cup 2026.
The ticket to the AVC Cup 2027 brings an opportunity for the Vietnamese men's volleyball team to rub shoulders with teams with higher levels, and at the same time assess the effectiveness of the force building process under coach Federico Rampazzo.
