Will the Vietnam women's volleyball team reach a new historic milestone with three major tournaments in 2026?

For nearly 20 years, winning even one set against Thailand was very difficult. But history began when we first pushed Thailand to a fifth set in the first leg of the 2024 SEA V.League.

By 2025, we achieved this not only once but three times, playing three tightly matched five-set games against Thailand’s women's team, including two legs of the SEA V.League and the 2025 SEA Games final. We defeated Thailand and won the second leg of the 2025 SEA V.League, and had five opportunities to beat them again in the 2025 SEA Games final, though we failed to seize them.

This forms the basis for Vietnam’s confidence when facing Thailand again in 2026 and gives us hope for further breakthroughs by Coach Tuấn Kiệt’s team.

In 2026, we have four chances to earn points to improve our standing in the FIVB rankings: two legs of the SEA V.League, the AVC Nations Cup (which Vietnam has won three years in a row), and the Asian Women's Volleyball Championship.

Currently, we rank 28th globally, about 25 points away from the top 20. This gap is not too large. If our "golden" girls maintain high and steady performance in these tournaments, the Vietnam women's volleyball team can enter the world top 20 for the first time in history. It is important to remember that in 2025, we briefly rose to 21st, just one spot behind Thailand.

If that happens, it will mark a significant new milestone for Vietnamese women's volleyball. No challenge is easy, but this is not an impossible mission for Coach Tuấn Kiệt’s players. Let us look forward and hope for the national women's volleyball team.