After opening their campaign with a comfortable 3-0 victory over Qatar, coach Nguyen Tuan Kiet’s side entered their second match knowing another win would guarantee early progression.

The match took place at Park Arena Komaki in Komaki, Aichi Prefecture, Japan, with Vietnam fielding a strong lineup and immediately putting Hong Kong under pressure.

Vietnam scored the first two points and quickly moved 7-4 ahead. Hong Kong responded with effective blocking and narrowed the gap to 9-7 before continuing to stay within reach of the Vietnamese side.

At 15-13, a video review awarded Vietnam a point after officials determined that the ball had touched Hong Kong’s block before going out.

Hong Kong continued to challenge Vietnam, particularly at the net, but Nguyen Tuan Kiet’s players maintained their advantage. Anh Thao eventually finished the opening set with a sharp cross-court spike to give Vietnam a 25-22 win.

Vietnam again took the initiative in the second set, with Nhu Anh scoring the opening point.

Thanh Thuy and her teammates varied their attacks effectively despite Hong Kong’s efforts at the block, building an 8-4 advantage before stretching the lead further.

Hong Kong tried to close the gap, but Vietnam increasingly controlled the set. Luu Thi Hue sealed it 25-15 with a powerful left-handed attack from position two, leaving her team one set away from the quarterfinals.

The third set was more competitive early on, with Hong Kong drawing level at 4-4. Vietnam soon regained control, however, as Quynh Huong’s attacking performance helped the team establish a 12-8 advantage.

Quynh Huong continued to cause problems for Hong Kong and later produced a powerful attack from position four to put Vietnam 23-16 ahead.

Tra My then scored the decisive point as Vietnam closed out the third set 25-18 and completed the straight-sets victory.

The result gave Vietnam two wins from their first two Pool D matches, both by 3-0 scorelines, and guaranteed them a place in the quarterfinals with one match remaining.

Vietnam will face South Korea at 2 p.m. on Sept. 18 in their final Pool D match, which will determine first place in the group.

Before the Hong Kong match, Vietnam’s players had received congratulations following their opening victory over Qatar from Nguyen Hong Minh, deputy head of Vietnam’s sports authority and head of the Vietnamese delegation at the 2026 Asian Games; deputy delegation head Hoang Quoc Vinh; and Vietnam Volleyball Federation president Duong Manh Tien.

Dai Nam