Phase 2 of the 2025 SEA V.League will be held in Indonesia from July 16 to 20. According to the schedule, this afternoon (July 16), the Vietnam men's volleyball team will have their opening match against Cambodia.
This match is not only a reunion with the opponent who won 3-0 in the first stage but also an opportunity for coach Tran Dinh Tien and his team to affirm their form and launch smoothly in the second stage.
The first phase of the tournament ended with the third place for the Vietnam team. However, what the players left on the field far exceeded the number on the rankings. In particular, the brave 3-1 victory over Thailand and the chase of thrilling points against Indonesia (2-3 loss) showed that Vietnam is no longer a "lowly promoted" name in the region.
The cohesive playing style, fiery competitive spirit and brilliance of many individuals helped the Vietnamese team make an impression and achieve favorable results. Vietnam has two players honored after the first stage, namely Ngoc Thuan (Best Striker) and Duy Tuyen (Best Middle Blocker).
In the second phase, the list of 14 athletes will continue to be kept stable, in which Ngoc Thuan and Duy Tuyen are certainly still pillars, expected to continue to be the locomotives in the journey of the Vietnam men's volleyball team in Indonesia.
The match against Cambodia was an important warm-up. Obviously, 5th place in the first stage proved that Cambodia still had many difficulties against teams in the region. With a balanced squad and stable performance, coach Tran Dinh Tien and his team are rated higher than their opponents.
However, despite defeating their opponents in the previous stage, the Vietnamese team still determined to enter the match with caution and high concentration. In the most recent meeting, Ngoc Thuan scored 22 points, contributing greatly to the 3-0 victory. However, subjectivity can make the Vietnamese team have to negotiate, especially when the pressure of expectations is on the players' shoulders.
Coach Tran Dinh Tien said that the team has prepared carefully for each match. He affirmed: "We always determine that every match is a final. The players must take the field with the highest fighting spirit because of the colors of the flag and shirt".
Therefore, after initial doubts about their performance, the Vietnamese men's volleyball team is gradually regaining the trust of fans thanks to their fiery fighting spirit and ability to play well against strong teams in the region.
A victory over Cambodia in the match taking place at 4:00 p.m. today will affirm the performance and determination to improve the ranking in the second phase of the 2025 SEA V.League of the Vietnam men's volleyball team.
