Vietnam’s women’s volleyball team arrived in Japan on the morning of Sept. 14 to begin preparations for its campaign at the 2026 Asian Games. A long journey and lengthy airport procedures left coach Nguyen Tuan Kiet and his players tired.

But those were not the only difficulties facing the Vietnamese team.

Unlike at other major multi-sport events, no volunteers were waiting to meet and accompany the team from the airport upon arrival. According to the Vietnam Volleyball Federation, Tran Thi Thanh Thuy and her teammates received assistance only with accreditation procedures and luggage tags.

The problems continued when the team’s bus took the players to the wrong hotel - the venue for the technical meeting and accommodation for several other national teams, but not Vietnam.

Members of the Vietnamese team tried to resolve the situation with the organizers but were not provided with transport to their correct hotel. The players eventually had to walk there, pulling their suitcases with them.

Vietnam has brought a 12-player squad to the Asian Games: outside hitters Tran Thi Thanh Thuy, Bui Thi Anh Thao and Pham Quynh Huong; opposite hitter Nguyen Thi Tra My; setters Vo Thi Kim Thoa and Vi Thi Yen Nhi; middle blockers Le Thanh Thuy, Luu Thi Hue, Le Nhu Anh and Tran Thi Bich Thuy; and liberos Nguyen Khanh Dang and Le Thi Yen.

Vietnam’s target at the 2026 Asian Games is to defend the fourth-place finish it achieved at the previous edition.

The women’s indoor volleyball competition runs from Sept. 16 to 22 and features 14 Asian teams. Nguyen Tuan Kiet’s side has been drawn in Group D alongside South Korea, Hong Kong (China), China and Qatar.

Dai Nam