Coach Tuấn Kiệt hints at the gap between Vietnamese and Thai women's volleyball

The Vietnamese women's volleyball team has stopped being overwhelmed by Thailand in their recent matches.

Head coach of the Vietnamese women's volleyball team - Nguyễn Tuấn Kiệt shared his thoughts on the current gap between Vietnam and Thailand in women's volleyball.

In the past, the Vietnamese women's volleyball team lost to Thailand in more than 40 meetings. Specifically, in the SEA Games before this edition, Vietnam faced Thailand 11 times in gold medal matches and never managed to push the opponent to a fifth set.

The national women's volleyball had a period of stagnation, missing international tournaments and disappearing from the FIVB world rankings before returning since 2023, while Thailand regularly participated in major events: World Championship, VNL, etc., being the "big sister" of Southeast Asia and ranking among Asia's top 3 teams, only behind Japan and China.

However, in their 2025 meetings, Trần Thị Thanh Thúy and her teammates have consistently challenged Thailand, even achieving a historic victory in the second leg final of the SEA V.League last August.

"Fans will find their own answer to this question (the gap between Vietnamese and Thai women's volleyball). During 2025, we played Thailand three times, all ending with a 3-2 score. Fans can decide whether we have matched Thailand or not.", Coach Tuấn Kiệt commented after the SEA Games 33 final.

In the three matches against Thailand in 2025, Vietnam recorded one win and two losses. Under Coach Tuấn Kiệt, the team had an unforgettable victory in the second leg of the SEA V.League, but suffered two close defeats in the first leg of the SEA V.League and most recently in the 2025 SEA Games final.

Notably, in both losses, the Vietnamese women's volleyball team witnessed controversial and sensitive moments (such as Pimpichaya Kokram's ball save that touched the floor) with points awarded to Thailand.