Vietnamese men's volleyball team top Southeast Asia rankings

The team have been absent on FIVB ranking after a long period of not competing in international tournaments. When the team played in the 2023 AVC (Asian Volleyball Championships) Challenge Cup in Taiwan this month, they were added 50 points.

At the tournament, Vietnam lost 1-3 to Australia in the group stage and lost 1.07 points. But the team had a surprising 3-1 win against hosts Taiwan, who are 44th on world ranking, and this brought them 2.37 points.

Vietnam, with 58.3 points, rose to 56th on world ranking and topped Southeast Asia, followed by Indonesia with 43.79 points and Thailand with 43.56. However, this does not reflect the real level of Thailand and Indonesia, who are considered stronger than Vietnam.

Both Thailand and Indonesia lost points and dropped places because they have attended many tournaments this year, while AVC Challenge Cup is Vietnam's first international tournament after a long time.

Luck was also on Vietnam's side at their first time at the AVC Challenge Cup. After Pakistan withdrew from the tournament, only Vietnam, Australia and Taiwan remained in group E. The victory against Taiwan helped Vietnam secure a place in the semifinals.

The opponents of Vietnam in the semifinals will be arch-rivals Thailand. In SEA Games 32, Vietnam lost 0-3 to Thailand in the group stage then won 3-0 in the third-place playoff. The other semifinal was between South Korea and Bahrain.

The 2023 AVC Challenge Cup is being held from July 8-15. The winner will qualify for the 2023 FIVB Challenger Cup in Qatar.

In the women’s event, Vietnam won the title for the first time after winning 3-2 against Indonesia in the final. The team will compete in the 2023 FIVB Challenger Cup for women in France from July 27-30.