Vietnam reach AVC Championship quarterfinals despite Japan defeat

Vietnam faced world No. 6 Japan in their final Pool C match on August 25, knowing that they needed at least one set or, in a 0-3 defeat, a minimum of 41 points to keep their quarterfinal hopes alive.

That was a demanding task against a Japanese side that had already secured their place in the knockout stage and had won both previous group matches without dropping a set.

But Vietnam played with confidence and determination from the start.

The Vietnamese side stayed close throughout the opening set, with Thanh Thuy and her teammates finding points through attacks from the wings, the middle and from behind the three-meter line.

Japan eventually edged the set 25-23, but Vietnam’s strong showing meant they had already scored 23 points.

They maintained their control in the second set and won 25-17, taking the match to 2-0. Even so, Vietnam had reached 40 points overall and was just one point short of the target required in the event of a straight-sets defeat.

The Vietnamese team completed that task early in the third set. Japan went on to close out the match 25-21, but Vietnam finished with 61 points, comfortably above the required mark.

The result left Vietnam in position to advance as one of the two best third-placed teams in the tournament.

The 2026 Asian Women’s Volleyball Continental Championship is taking place in Tianjin, China, from August 21 – 30, with the participation of 12 teams divided into three pools of four. The six first- and second-placed teams and the two best third-placed teams advance to the quarterfinals.

Vietnam entered their final group match after a 3-0 win over Hong Kong, China had kept their knockout-stage hopes alive.

Against Japan, the task was therefore not necessarily to win, but to stay competitive enough to meet the qualification requirement.

Vietnam did exactly that. The 0-3 scoreline does not fully reflect the competitiveness of the match, particularly in the opening set, when Vietnam pushed Japan to the final points before conceding 25-23.

The Japanese side are one of the strongest teams in Asia and were ranked sixth in the world entering the tournament.

The quarterfinal berth gives Vietnam another opportunity to compete against the continent’s leading teams.

More importantly, the performance against Japan provides a positive sign beyond the result itself. Facing a top-ranked opponent, Vietnam stayed composed, produced 61 points and achieved the precise objective required to keep their campaign alive.

Japan won the match, but Vietnam won the numbers game that mattered: by taking 61 points from three sets, the Vietnamese team secured their place in the Asian Championship quarterfinals.

Vietnam women cruise past Hong Kong 3-0 at Asian volleyball championship

VOV.VN - Vietnam women’s volleyball team beat Hong Kong, China 3-0 on August 24 to boost their hopes of reaching the quarterfinals of the 2026 Asian Women’s Volleyball Championship.