Vietnam women's volleyball team enters Asiad semi-finals for first time

China Because of the 0-3 loss to China by their rival South Korea, Vietnam is certain to finish second in Group E - meaning a spot in the semi-finals of the 19th Asian Games women's volleyball event.

On the afternoon of October 4, Vietnam defeated North Korea 3-1, raising the total points to five. Meanwhile, with an absolute victory over South Korea, host China climbed to the top of Group E with six points. South Korea only had one point, while North Korea had nothing. Since each team only had one match left, the top two positions in the group cannot be changed. Therefore, China and Vietnam are certain to continue.

This is the first time Vietnam has reached the semi-finals of women's volleyball at the Asian Games. In history, the team has only participated in two editions: finishing seventh in 2006 in Qatar and sixth in 2018 in Indonesia.

Vietnamese female volleyball players celebrate during the match against North Korea at the 19th Asian Games, October 4.

This continues the streak of high achievements of the Vietnamese women's team in 2023. Previously, the team won the Asian Club Championship under the name Sport Center I, then won the AVC Challenge Cup and won a ticket to the FIVB Challenger Cup. Vietnam also entered the top four in the 2023 Asian Championship for the first time.

Vietnam's journey to the semi-finals at the 19th Asian Games was quite impressive, when they defeated Nepal 3-0 and Korea 3-2 in the first round. Thanks to that, the team entered the second round as the top team in Group C. In this round, because the result of the match against Korea was maintained, coach Nguyen Tuan Kiet and his team automatically got two points.

Asian Games Volleyball rules stipulate that a win of 3-0 or 3-1 will earn three points, and 3-2 will earn two points.

The match against China on October 5 is only about deciding first and second place. Therefore, according to coach Nguyen Tuan Kiet, Vietnam needs to calculate reasonable tactics. "We are unlikely to go all out against China," he said after the match against North Korea. "In fact, even if we go all out, it will be difficult to get a good result against the host."

Mr. Kiet added that the two remaining teams in the semi-finals are likely to be Thailand and Japan. They are both very strong, so Vietnam does not need to calculate and choose. Accepting to play moderately against China and focus on the semi-finals could be a reasonable move. If they lose in the semi-finals, the team still has a chance to compete for the bronze medal.

In Asia today, China, Japan and Thailand are still the most formidable. Vietnam itself understands China's strength very well, having lost 13-25, 12-25 and 22-25 in the semi-finals of the 2023 Asian Championship.

Hieu Luong

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