Unsatisfactory performance at the World Championship
2 days ago, the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) announced a new ranking after the 2025 Women's Volleyball World Championship ended. Of which, the Vietnam women's team dropped 6 places in a row, from 22nd to 28th in the world, the deepest decrease among all participating teams.
This decline in the rankings reflects the unstable performance of Thanh Thuy and her teammates in the group stage of the tournament held in Thailand. The Vietnamese team lost all 3 matches, won only 1 set and left the tournament empty-handed.
Although the team is still familiar faces such as Tran Thi Thanh Thuy, Nguyen Thi Trinh, Lam Oanh, Kieu Trinh or Vi Thi Nhu Quynh, the lack of stability in playing style and tactics has made the team unable to create any surprises.
Coach Nguyen Tuan Kiet once shared after the decisive loss to Kenya: "In the most important match against Kenya, the team did not play to the best of its ability. All of our stages are not doing well in the profession. Vietnamese players did not catch the rhythm well. The blocking line and positions are not professional, so let the opposing team be excited.
A team that plays very improvised and has a good fighting spirit like Kenya will find it difficult to defend. I think the Vietnamese players did not start well, so the loss was worth it".
Looking further, this defeat shows that the gap in level between Vietnam and the world's top teams is still large.
To be able to participate in the top arena such as the world championship, coach Nguyen Tuan Kiet emphasized: "We must be in the top 3 in Asia to be eligible for tickets. That is not easy. The players after this tournament will look back at themselves.
The coaching staff also looked back to see what had to be changed and overcome. This playground is very harsh. In addition to the factor of courage, spirit always needs stability in all aspects".
Warning about the gold target at the 33rd SEA Games
After the failure at the world tournament, Vietnamese women's volleyball will have to urgently adjust to aim for another important goal. That is conquering the 33rd SEA Games gold medal at the end of this year in Thailand.
Right from the beginning of the year, the Department of Physical Education and Sports and the Vietnam Volleyball Federation assigned the task of winning the gold medal to coach Nguyen Tuan Kiet and his team. This is a turning point after many years of missing out on the championship.
At the last 2 SEA Games, the women's team won silver medals. In the past 20 years, the team has finished as runner-up 11 times without once stepping onto the highest podium.
Mr. Le Tri Truong - General Secretary of the Vietnam Volleyball Federation - once said: "The nature of high-performance sports is pressure. Without setting goals, we cannot overcome ourselves. We know this is a difficult target, but it is also a motivation for the team to make more efforts".
In fact, Vietnamese women's volleyball is in the stage of owning a generation of "golden" players and developing stably. With captain Thanh Thuy, Bich Tuyen, Nguyen Trinh... experienced, and clear progress of young athletes, the national team has a good foundation to dream of the regional championship.
However, just spirit is not enough. The 33rd SEA Games in Thailand will be a very harsh test. The main opponent is still the host Thailand when they have uniformity in terms of personnel, high professional quality, great bravery and home field advantage.
To defeat Thailand, coach Nguyen Tuan Kiet and his team need to prepare carefully, not only in terms of expertise but also in terms of mentality and competitive spirit.
The failure at the world tournament is a timely reminder. To realize the golden dream of the SEA Games, the Vietnamese women's volleyball team has no other choice but to turn pressure into motivation, turn experience into a boost to change history.
Not just an effort, Thanh Thuy and her teammates must be a victory, if they do not want to continue to stand behind the shadow of the Thais.
