Vietnamese athlete Nguyen Ngoc Thuan (red shirt) played in the 3-2 victory against Thailand in the final of the second leg of the SEA V-Cup 2026 Southeast Asian men's volleyball tournament, at the Jakarta arena, Indonesia on 26/7. *Photo: TVA*

At the Jakarta arena, Vietnam's team faced a challenging match against Thailand. They lost set one 22-25 but rallied to win the next two sets 25-23 and 25-19, taking a 2-1 lead. In the 4th set, Thailand dominated, and Vietnam, facing a significant deficit, conserved energy and lost 15-25, pushing the match to a decisive 5th set. In the final set, Nguyen Ngoc Thuan and his teammates displayed composure, securing a 15-10 victory to clinch the championship.

This victory marks Vietnam's first championship title in the SEA V-Cup Southeast Asian men's volleyball tournament. The SEA V-Cup 2026 tournament features two legs, held from 15/7 to 26/7. The first leg, hosted in the Philippines, concluded with an upset, as Cambodia successively defeated Thailand 3-1 in the semifinals and Indonesia 3-2 in the final.

Vietnam's journey in the second leg, held in Indonesia, began with a mixed performance in Group B. They initially led Thailand 2-0 but ultimately lost the match 2-3. Following this, the team regrouped to defeat Myanmar 3-0, then secured a 3-1 victory over host Indonesia in the semifinals, paving their way to the final.

This year marks the 4th edition of the tournament. In the six legs held over the previous three years, Indonesia and Thailand shared three championships. Vietnam had previously reached the final two times in the second leg, in 2023 and 2025, but lost to Indonesia 1-3 on both occasions.

Hieu Luong