The Vietnamese women's volleyball team will enter the AVC Cup 2026 with the goal of defending the championship for the 4th consecutive time. This year's tournament takes place in the Philippines from June 6 to 14, gathering many strong Asian teams.
According to the draw results, the Vietnamese women's volleyball team is in Group B with Kazakhstan, Iran, Indonesia, Hong Kong (China) and Lebanon. Meanwhile, Group A has hosts Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan (China), Australia, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan.
The big difficulty for coach Nguyen Tuan Kiet and his team comes not only from expertise but also from the schedule.
The Vietnamese national team must play all group stage matches at 9 am local time, equivalent to 8 am in Vietnam. This is quite disadvantageous because international volleyball tournaments are usually held in the afternoon or evening to ensure the fitness of athletes.
Coach Nguyen Tuan Kiet shared: "The team's schedule starts from 8 am, so the players have to wake up from 5:30 am to 6 am and then go to the field. I myself am not sure if the distance from the team's hotel to the gymnasium is far or not, so this is a challenge for the players at the tournament".
While the Vietnamese team continuously plays in the morning, the host Philippines is scheduled to schedule all matches in the evening. Most of the matches in Group A also take place from afternoon to evening, with more favorable conditions in terms of playing time and recovery.
Despite facing disadvantages, the Vietnamese women's volleyball team is still highly appreciated for its stable performance over the years. Coach Nguyen Tuan Kiet's team is possessing a rich experience and good form after a series of successes in the continental arena.
Notably, South Korea is considered the biggest opponent at this year's tournament. Although they have defeated East Asian representatives many times in 2023, the Vietnamese team still has to be wary of the team with a strong professional foundation and tradition in Asia.
