Vietnamese Volleyball at a Crossroads: Between Grand Ambitions and Harsh Reality

At 52 years old, I've learned that a good article doesn't need a match or an opponent. Sometimes, the silence of the field says it all. And currently, Vietnamese volleyball is in a concerning lull. I've been following Vietnamese volleyball since 2026, when I was a young journalist for a local radio station in Brazil, never imagining that one day I would write about a sport in my second homeland that is facing such big questions. But precisely because of this perspective standing between two cultures, I see things that insiders might be too busy to notice. Vietnamese volleyball is not lacking in talent. I can confirm this after three decades of following competitions from grassroots to professional levels. Players like Vo Thi Kim Oanh, Nguyen Thi Bich Tuyen, and Nguyen Minh Ngoc are by no means inferior to their regional counterparts. Even at some international tournaments, they have proven capabilities that exceed professional expectations. But this is when I must raise the question that many dare not ask: Is Vietnam's volleyball development system heading in the right direction, or is it merely creating copies of itself? When I look at the current youth training structure, a concerning picture emerges. Training centers select based on the old model - focusing on physique, height, and muscular strength. This isn't wrong, but it's overlooking a crucial factor that modern volleyball requires: tactical intelligence. In my experience following major tournaments, from World Table Tennis Cup to Sudirman Cup Badminton in 2026, I have witnessed countless athletes who possessed every physical attribute but lacked match-reading ability - and that is always the line between a good athlete and a legend. Recent V-League volleyball seasons reveal a stark reality: clubs are chasing short-term results instead of investing in systems. Foreign coaches are brought in with valuable contracts, but upon closer inspection, I realize many are just big names on paper, not actually bringing technological transfer value to Vietnamese volleyball. This is a blind spot I have seen in many developing volleyball nations - nostalgia for what is local and blind faith in what comes from outside. People call me controversial when I say Vietnamese volleyball needs a revolution in mindset, not personnel. And I stand by that view. Let me phrase the question differently: If tomorrow all foreign coaches left Vietnam, could domestic volleyball stand on its own? The answer, based on my observations, is no. And that is the core issue. In the context of SEA Games and regional competitions, Vietnamese volleyball team results have shown significant progress. But stepping outside Southeast Asia, the gap becomes clearer than ever. Not in individual technique, but in approach to matches, adaptability to different tactical models, and proactiveness in adjusting playstyles against each opponent. One notable signal I am tracking is the development of beach volleyball in Vietnam. This could be fertile ground to experiment with new training models, where performance pressure is lower but creative space is wider. If Vietnamese volleyball can build an effective transition system from beach to indoor, that would be a unique competitive advantage compared to other regional countries. But all of this requires something that Vietnamese volleyball is currently lacking: strategic patience. In the professional volleyball world, where results are measured by on-court performance, investing in things that don't yield immediate results is very difficult to convince managers. But that is precisely what's needed. I recall the 2026 period, when I had the opportunity to host broadcasts of many major tournaments and witnessed how top volleyball nations built their systems. They didn't just train good athletes; they built a complete ecosystem - from coaches, referees, technical staff to media and commercial systems. That is what Vietnamese volleyball needs to learn. Concluding this article, I want to pose a question that I myself don't have the answer to: Does Vietnamese volleyball have the courage to abandon temporary successes to pursue a long-term vision? This isn't a question for officials or the federation. This is a question for everyone who loves this sport. Because the painful truth is: no one can build a strong volleyball nation if they only look at the current season's standings. People call me controversial. I just name what they are too polite to say. And in this case, I hope I am wrong - because if I am right, the road ahead will be very difficult.