The burden on Thanh Thuy's shoulders
Stage 2 of SEA V.Cup 2026 in Chiang Mai (Thailand) had up to 8 changes compared to the squad playing in Hanoi, causing the Vietnamese women's team to clearly reveal limitations in force depth.
When Kieu Trinh was absent, the burden of scoring points fell more on Thanh Thuy. Relying on the number 1 main attacker made the playing style easy to read. The defeat to the Philippines is an example, when Thanh Thuy scored 25 points but Vietnam was still reversed after winning the first set.
A player scoring 25 points in a match is not a problem. It is worth mentioning that when an individual has to make too many differences, the opponent will have more basis to focus on defending in that position. Vietnam needs other scoring options that are strong enough to share the fire with Thanh Thuy. However, in stage 2, the answer is not really clear.
Young main attacker Pham Quynh Huong was given the opportunity, Dinh Thi Thuy returned, while young players such as Bui Thi Anh Thao, Le Thuy Linh were included in the list. However, between having a player in the squad and that player being able to become a reliable tactical option is a significant gap.
Opposite hitter is one of the worrying positions of the Vietnamese Women's Team. Kieu Trinh is absent due to injury, causing the team to find replacements, while this is an important position to maintain attacking power when the main attacker is locked down.
When this position does not create enough weight, the opponent can focus more on Thanh Thuy and other attacking spearheads. The system is therefore easily falling into a loop, passing to the main spearhead, the opponent reads, Vietnam has to handle the ball difficultly and finally loses points. That is why the team's problem cannot be solved by Thanh Thuy's form alone.
Can't keep experimenting
Another point that needs to be recognized is the way the team uses supporting players. Bich Thuy once showed the ability to score points in the middle of the net. Meanwhile, Luu Thi Hue, Ly Thi Luyen and Le Thuy Linh were given opportunities. They can create more options for the system, but for supporting players to truly become an attacking weapon, the team needs first-pass quality and stable setter ability.
In other words, it is not possible to just look at the middle blocker's score to evaluate this position. The more important question is whether the team is capable of pulling the opponent's block out of the central position or not. If the first ball is not good, the second pass is difficult to deploy fast attacking plans. At that time, the ball is pushed to the wing and Thanh Thuy continues to become a familiar destination.
Stage 2 of SEA V.Cup is considered an opportunity for the team to test their forces. But after 3 defeats, those tests need to be realistically seen and changed. The change of 8 positions compared to stage 1 shows that the team is looking for suitable personnel options. However, from a professional perspective, what is more important is that coach Nguyen Tuan Kiet must identify which framework can operate stably when entering major matches.
In particular, the team needs to have a plan for cases where Thanh Thuy is locked, the first pass is not good, or the setter cannot bring the ball to the desired position. If option B is still to bring the ball back to option A, then it is not a system with enough depth.
What is worrying is that these problems appear right before the 2026 Asian Championship. In the continental arena, Vietnam will have to face teams with much higher quality blocking, defense and tactical organization than the Southeast Asian level. Therefore, the gaps in force will be exploited faster and more directly.
It's not that Thanh Thuy needs to play better, it's not that a player needs to score more points. What the Vietnamese team needs to change is that the entire system must coordinate smoothly, attack more diversely and know how to create points when the main option is no longer effective.
