On the evening of June 8, Vietnam faced Chinese Taipei in their second group match at the AVC Nations Cup 2025. The encounter was widely considered their toughest challenge in Group A. Yet, playing on home turf, star players Bich Tuyen and Tran Thanh Thuy inspired a dominant performance, delivering a straight-set victory.

Bich Tuyen emerged as the match’s top scorer with 23 points, including 21 from attacks with an impressive 70% success rate and 2 from blocks.

Born in 2000, the powerful opposite hitter delivered a stellar performance. Tran Thanh Thuy followed with 19 points and a 56.67% attack efficiency.

“In this match, our players performed well in the first phase, though our backline defense still needs improvement,” head coach Nguyen Tuan Kiet commented. “The middle blocker positions currently perform at around 50-60%. Depending on each match, we adjust the lineup so the players can push themselves.”

Vietnam’s women dominate group stage, make ranking history

With two consecutive 3-0 victories in the group stage and no sets lost, Vietnam has not only virtually secured a place in the next round but also achieved a historic breakthrough.

Thanks to the win over Chinese Taipei, Vietnam gained 6.17 ranking points, bringing their total to 123.25 - enough to surpass Kazakhstan (120.19 points) and secure a spot in the world’s top 30 in the FIVB world rankings for the first time. They also now rank fourth in Asia.

Should the team win the AVC Nations Cup, their global ranking will improve further. However, coach Nguyen Tuan Kiet emphasized that maintaining consistent performance and physical condition is key, especially ahead of major events later in 2025, including the World Cup and SEA Games.

A landmark tournament on home soil

The AVC Nations Cup 2025 is taking place from June 7 to 14 at the Dong Anh Sports Hall in Hanoi. Eleven women’s teams from across Asia are participating, including Australia, India, Chinese Taipei, Iran, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Hong Kong, Mongolia, New Zealand, the Philippines, and host nation Vietnam.

Teams are divided into two groups and play round-robin matches to determine seeding for the ranking and championship rounds. The tournament contributes annual points to the FIVB world rankings and awards a spot in the 2026 Asian Women’s Volleyball Championship to the winner.

Vietnam is competing as the defending champion and aims to retain the title. A successful campaign would mark the team’s third continental championship under coach Nguyen Tuan Kiet’s leadership.

Dai Nam