Thanh Thuy is a specific case.
The contract between Thanh Thuy and Kuzeyboru lasts for 10 months, ending in May 2025. Currently, Thanh Thuy is the only player of Vietnamese women's volleyball playing for a team abroad, and that is in Europe. When this player was officially announced to sign a labor contract with Kuzeyboru (Turkey) from May 2024, the domestic media was particularly interested. At the same time, many experts assessed that Thanh Thuy's move abroad would bring positive effects to Vietnamese women's volleyball.
Everyone understands that the Vietnam Women's Volleyball Team has some international competition results in Asia and has participated in the FIVB Challenge Cup in 2023 and 2024, so each player is noticed by foreign teams. However, Thanh Thuy is the only one who has a labor contract with a foreign team. Therefore, experts understand that she is an exceptional case.
In September 2024, this player completed the procedures to go to Türkiye. Thanh Thuy was registered by the Kuzeyboru team (Türkiye) in the official list of 14 players participating in the National Women's Volleyball Championship of this country in the 2024-2025 season. However, through the matches that the Kuzeyboru team (Türkiye) played, Thanh Thuy had almost no chance to play.
Regardless of whether Thanh Thuy's contract with Kuzeyboru (Türkiye) is still or has ended, she is still a very practical proof that Vietnamese women's volleyball has a historic hitter and enough opportunity to compete in the European professional volleyball arena.
What future for Vietnamese female players?
The 2024 National Women's Volleyball Championship is currently competing in the second phase in Lao Cai. Except for 10 foreign players registered by the teams, the majority of players are domestic players. However, through the matches played, the lineup of 9 participating teams (VTV Binh Dien Long An, Truong Tuoi Binh Phuoc Information Corps, Duc Giang Lao Cai Chemicals, Long Son Thanh Hoa Cement, Quang Ninh, Geleximco Thai Binh, Hanoi, LPBank Ninh Binh, Industrial and Commercial Bank) still depends heavily on foreign players. For that reason, domestic players have not been able to demonstrate their full ability and bravery on the field.
Among the 9 teams participating in the second phase of the 2024 National Women's Volleyball Championship, not many teams have affirmed the long-term goal of developing players in foreign arenas. Except for VTV Binh Dien Long An, some teams such as LPBank Ninh Binh or the Information Corps Truong Tuoi Binh Phuoc have had plans to send their players abroad for trials. But above all, all are seasonal and do not fully consider the readiness of players to compete long-term.
That is the reason why players like Doan Thi Lam Oanh and Hoang Thi Kieu Trinh were able to compete in the Thai national volleyball championship for about two months (from late 2023 to early 2024) and then had to return home without knowing if they would have the chance to go abroad or not. They are still important players of the Truong Tuoi Binh Phuoc Information Corps, so the team cannot let them go abroad for a long time.
“We should probably learn from the VTV Binh Dien Long An women’s team, which is to accept sending key players abroad for a long time, so they have enough time to accumulate and develop,” said a representative of the Vietnam Volleyball Federation. Cases like Tran Thi Thanh Thuy are almost rare in Vietnamese women’s volleyball.
That is a player who is playing a pivotal role, an irreplaceable player, but the team that manages her accepts to send her abroad. Thanh Thuy became famous with her team in Japan, wore the Vietnam Women's Volleyball Team jersey to compete in important international tournaments and achieved results, but the direct management unit, VTV Binh Dien Long An, has never once spoken out.
The biggest constraint for the teams is the thin player force, not having many outstanding people. Therefore, no unit dares to let their important hitters go abroad for a long time. Looking at the common goal, Vietnamese women's volleyball is still limited in development, few players have the opportunity to rub shoulders in reality, improve their level.
