Phase 1 of SEA V.League 2025 has ended in Thailand with the championship for the home team, the runner-up position belonging to Vietnam. Currently, the teams have arrived in Ninh Binh to prepare to compete in phase 2, taking place from August 8 to 10.
The Vietnamese women's volleyball team lost 2-3 to Thailand and finished second in the first phase of the 2025 SEA V.League. I felt quite regretful for not being able to seize the opportunity to have a first victory against the team from the land of the Golden Temple. However, the Vietnamese players showed consistency, cohesion, and played well in all aspects, from defense, attack to blocking the ball in the first phase, opposite Nguyen Thi Bich Tuyen discussed with Lao Dong.
Despite losing to the No. 1 women's volleyball team in Southeast Asia, with what they have shown, coach Nguyen Tuan Kiet's team is showing clear progress in both expertise and spirit. This is the fulcrum for the whole team to aim for the second phase, where the Vietnam Women's Volleyball Team will play at home with enthusiastic cheers from the audience.
Bich Tuyen shared: "After phase 1, we have many lessons to learn to aim for phase 2. I myself am also trying to perfect my technical weaknesses to be able to aim to help the Vietnam Women's Volleyball Team win against Thailand for the first time. It would be a great pleasure if this happened in the second phase or in the near future.
However, the player from Vinh Long admitted that this was a challenging task. The Thai women's volleyball team is a familiar name in the top arena such as the Volleyball Nations League (VNL) - the only major tournament at the national team level organized annually by the World Volleyball Federation. The Golden Temple team has a uniform squad, rich experience and high technique in all positions. In particular, setter Pornpun is always a bright spot with a flexible and creative playing style, creating conditions for Thai players to compete explosively.
The challenge is even greater when entering the second stage, Thailand will call up its strongest force. Notably, the main striker Chatchu-on and middle blocker Wimonrat have returned after being given a break in the first leg. With her physical strength, attacking ability and fighting spirit, Chatchu-on continues to be an important "weapon" in the Thai attack, especially in the context that she needs to regain her form after a minor injury encountered at VNL 2025.
Facing Thailand's strongest squad is clearly a challenge, but it is also a great motivation for the Vietnamese team. Bich Tuyen emphasized: We played against this Thai team in the first phase of the 2024 SEA V.League in Vinh Phuc (Phu Tho) and lost 2-3 to the stars. That gives us more confidence when we meet them again. In the second stage, Vietnam also had a quality addition with the return of main striker Nguyen Thi Phuong. The team will have more attack options. I believe the coaching staff will have a reasonable strategy for the decisive match against Thailand. The players also need to focus highly to counter their diverse shots. We will try, be determined and confident in playing against opponents, especially Thailand. Currently, the whole team is focusing 100% on preparing for this important match".
Not only Thailand, other opponents in the SEA V.League are also highly skilled teams. But with the home team's mindset, confidence and solidarity are the fulcrum for the upcoming journey of Bich Tuyen and her teammates. With high determination and desire to win against Thailand for the first time, the second stage of the 2025 SEA V.League in Ninh Binh is expected to be a milestone for the Vietnam Women's Volleyball Team to write history.
