The Vietnamese women's volleyball team entered the AVC Cup 2026 as the defending champion 3 times in a row. However, this year's journey did not go as expected when coach Nguyen Tuan Kiet's team stopped before the threshold of the final.
That result may make many people regretful, but it is also an opportunity to see more clearly the problems that the team is facing on the journey towards bigger goals in the future.
Signals have appeared from the group stage
If only looking at the achievements, the Vietnamese women's team still had a fairly successful group stage when they soon won a ticket to the semi-finals after a 3-0 victory over Iran. Previously, the team also successively overcame Lebanon and Hong Kong (China) with widespread victories.
However, behind these positive results are noteworthy signs.
AVC Cup 2026 is considered to be more competitive than previous years when the competition format changes, forcing teams to maintain stability right from the group stage.
In matches against opponents of equivalent level such as Indonesia or Kazakhstan, the Vietnamese team no longer maintains their familiar dominance.
In particular, the defeat to Kazakhstan in the group stage ended the team's long winning streak in this arena, and also showed that the gap between Vietnam and the group of competitors is gradually narrowing.
Notably, the problems revealed are not in a single match but appear throughout the tournament.
Dependence on pillars
Over the years, the Vietnamese women's volleyball team has been built around a framework of experienced names such as Tran Thi Thanh Thuy, Nguyen Thi Bich Tuyen or Hoang Thi Kieu Trinh.
When the strongest force is guaranteed, the team owns a diverse attacking system with many scoring points. However, at AVC Cup 2026, the absence of some key players makes the personnel problem more difficult.
Thanh Thuy is still the "leader" both in terms of expertise and spirit. However, when the captain has to take on too many roles from scoring points, taking the first step to leading the play, the overall operating efficiency of the whole team is difficult to avoid being affected.
A team that wants to maintain its leading position cannot depend too much on a few individuals. This is a reality that the coaching staff has certainly realized after this year's tournament.
Space in the opposite hitter position
If you have to point out the position that gives the coaching staff the most headaches, it is probably the opposite hitter.
In recent years, this position has always been one of the strengths of the Vietnamese women's team. From Hoang Thi Kieu Trinh to Nguyen Thi Bich Tuyen, the team always has a hitter capable of scoring stably in both the front and back rows.
However, at AVC Cup 2026, the tested options have not been as effective as expected. The continuous rotation of personnel shows that the coaching staff is still in the process of finding a suitable solution.
It is no coincidence that at many times, the attacking system of the Vietnamese team becomes easier to read. When there is a lack of an attacking spearhead strong enough to create breakthroughs from the opposite hitter position, pressure falls on the main attackers and causes the team's scoring ability to decline significantly.
Perspective on successor forces
Three consecutive championships from 2023 to 2025 have helped the Vietnamese women's team affirm its position in the AVC Cup arena. However, that success partly covered the gap between the main squad and the reserve group.
When key players cannot fully participate or do not reach their best form, the team immediately encounters difficulties in maintaining professional quality.
In the opposite direction, many young faces have been given the opportunity to compete in the past time. To truly become worthy replacements at the national team level, they still need more time to accumulate experience and international competition bravery.
AVC Cup 2026 can therefore be seen as a practical test for the work of inheriting the force of Vietnamese women's volleyball.
Necessary failure
The early stop at this year's AVC Cup is something no one wants. Looking in a positive direction, this result helps the coaching staff see more clearly the existing problems of the team.
From personnel stories, squad depth to the problem of building a successor class, all need to be solved if the Vietnamese women's volleyball team wants to maintain its position in Asia and aim for bigger goals in the future.
Because in the end, the greatest value of the tournament probably does not lie in the medal or championship, but in the fact that the team has clearly seen the things that need to be changed to continue moving forward.
