The men's volleyball event of the Eighth National Sports Festival is taking place in Hanoi. This event can be considered as the competition among the four current best volleyball teams in Vietnam.
The men’s volleyball event of the Eighth National Sports Festival is taking place in Hanoi. This event can be considered as the competition among the four current best volleyball teams in Vietnam.
The event of men’s volleyball takes place from November 26 to December 9 with the participation of six teams, including Khanh Hoa, Military, Ho Chi Minh City, Ninh Binh, Long An, and the host Hanoi. The teams play single round robin with the top four teams qualifying for the knockout stage.
Khanh Hoa, Military, Ho Chi Minh City, and Ninh Binh are the strong favorites among the six participants. These teams have had the best background of volleyball in Vietnam. Military team consists of the outstanding players from The Cong, Becamex – Fourth Corps (dissolved), and Military Zone 4. Ho Chi Minh City (Maseco Ho Chi Minh City) was the 2016 national championship; meanwhile, Ninh Binh (Trang An Ninh Binh) is the reigning champion of Hung Vuong Cup. Sanest Khanh Hoa, the representative of Khanh Hoa’s volleyball at this tournament, won the 2017 national championship and finished fourth at the 2018 Asian Men's Club Volleyball Championship.
|
As of now, the matches have been played as expected with the victories coming to the mentioned top four teams. Ho Chi Minh City had two consecutive 3-0 wins against Hanoi and Military; Ninh Binh whipped Long An 3-0; Khanh Hoa had a smashing 3-0 victory over Hanoi.
As said by Tran Quang Thuong, Director of Khanh Hoa Provincial Sports Technique Training Center and Head of Khanh Hoa’s volleyball team, the race for the championship among Khanh Hoa, Ninh Binh, Ho Chi Minh City, and Military are still unpredictable because the teams have relatively equal competence. Sanest Khanh Hoa has new coach since 2018 season; has played with more diverse play style; and gained some encouraging results. Thanks to the investment from Khanh Hoa Salanganes Nest Company, since 2008, Sanest Khanh Hoa achieved a lot of domestic championships and good results at the international tournaments. However, the team has never won the National Sports Festival. The volleyball supporters are waiting for them to bring home the 2018 trophy.
An Nhien
Translated by H.N
