Vietnam’s men’s volleyball team suffered a heartbreaking 2-3 loss to Indonesia despite leading 2-0 in the AVC Nations Cup 2025.

In the quarterfinals, Vietnam narrowly lost to defending champions Qatar (2-3), sending them into the 5th–8th place bracket to face Indonesia. Over the past three years, Indonesia has consistently been a difficult opponent for Vietnam, often coming out on top.

However, this year, under head coach Tran Dinh Tien, the Vietnamese team displayed clear progress and strong mental composure, particularly in the quarterfinal against Qatar. This gave fans hope for a breakthrough victory led by captain Ngoc Thuan and his teammates.

Vietnam began the match confidently. Alongside improved offensive plays, the team also demonstrated solid defensive organization and preparation.

In a surprising turn, Vietnam stormed to a 2-0 lead with set scores of 25-23 and 26-24. However, starting from the third set, Indonesia proved their mettle, winning the next two sets to level the match 2-2.

In the decisive fifth set, Vietnam continued to fight admirably despite physical fatigue, but a few crucial errors cost them the set 12-15, and ultimately the match 2-3.

This marked the second consecutive match in which Vietnam took strong opponents to five sets, forcing both the defending champions Qatar and Southeast Asia’s top-ranked team Indonesia to battle hard for victory.

With this result, coach Tran Dinh Tien’s squad will face Chinese Taipei in the 7th-place match at the AVC Nations Cup 2025.

Dai Nam