Thai volleyball fans admit that the Vietnam women's volleyball team is stronger than their own, finding it puzzling why Coach Tuấn Kiệt made decisions regarding the 2002-born star.

Many Thai volleyball fans praised Coach Tuấn Kiệt’s team after their match against Poland at the 2025 World Championship. They especially admired Vi Thị Như Quỳnh, who scored 20 points against Poland.

The Poland women's volleyball team (ranked 3rd globally) was unexpectedly defeated by the 22nd-ranked Vietnam team in the first set of the group stage at the 2025 World Championship on the evening of August 23. However, Poland quickly bounced back and won 3-1 (23-25, 25-10, 25-12, 25-22), securing all three points in the opening match of Group G.

Many Thai fans were impressed by the Vietnam women's volleyball team’s performance. On the Pantip forum, a Thai fan wrote: "Honestly, Vietnam’s women's volleyball team played quite well, even winning a set against Poland. In the future, Vietnam might rise to 13th–14th in the world rankings, replacing Thailand, while Thailand might fall to around 30th."

Another fan praised Như Quỳnh, the volleyball star born in 2002: "Considering this is their first time at the world level, they did well. The truly outstanding players were Như Quỳnh and attacker Bích Thủy, while Lâm Oanh was average. Overall, the Vietnam women's volleyball team has improved a lot. We can no longer use the excuse that they have 'the Fridge' (Bích Tuyền), because they are genuinely stronger than Thailand now."

"Regarding world rankings, even after this tournament, if we don’t beat Sweden and the Netherlands, but Vietnam beats Kenya, they will definitely surpass Thailand. As for performance, Vietnam has already overtaken us slightly," emphasized this fan.

Another Thai fan praised Như Quỳnh, who scored 20 points against Poland. This fan was puzzled why Coach Tuấn Kiệt has kept Như Quỳnh as a substitute over the past years: "Như Quỳnh became the most outstanding player. She played very well, with clever plays, tempo control, soft shots, alternating speeds that disrupted opponents’ rhythm – all seen repeatedly. It’s surprising that the Vietnam coach has ‘benched’ Như Quỳnh for 2–3 years, only using her as a substitute opposite hitter to change the game’s tempo occasionally. But Thailand really fears her playing style."

Another Thai fan agreed: "The Vietnam women's volleyball team has truly improved a lot, but Thailand has declined significantly. The main reason is that players are no longer as energetic as before. Currently, we have not seen any young players ready to replace them soon."

"If Vietnam continues to develop and improve, while Thailand keeps declining, they will definitely surpass us, whether we like it or not. We must not let that happen. We must keep improving and rising. But for some reason, there has been a strange gap over the past two years, even though the new Thai players brought in have performed excellently," admitted another Thai fan.

Another Thai fan commented: "I think even without 'the Fridge' (Bích Tuyền), Vietnam still plays more cohesively, proving that even without her, Vietnam can compete with the world’s top teams."