Sepak takraw

Thanh Hà

NAGOYA — Hearing the referee call out gold medal point, Nguyễn Thị Khánh Ly felt a surge of nerves. She tossed the ball high into the air and delivered a powerful serve straight to the far corner of the court.

The serve landed cleanly for an ace, clinching the Asian Games (ASIAD) crown for Việt Nam and ending the nation's 20-year title drought in the women's doubles sepak takraw event in Nagoya, Japan.

"No words can describe my feeling at the present. We are very happy, excited and emotional to win this title," Ly said after Việt Nam won 2-0 against the Philippines in the final.

The victory not only showed Việt Nam's dominance in the rattan ball-kicking community but also proved that their world title nearly two months ago was not by luck.

In 2006, Lưu Thị Thanh and Nguyễn Hải Thảo defeated Myanmar rival 2-0 to top the ASIAD podium for the first time for Việt Nam in Qatar.

Two decades passed, many things changed and despite many efforts, no Vietnamese team could repeat that achievement again.

Ly and her teammates Nguyễn Thị Thu Trang and Lê Thị Hồng Liên were not specialised for doubles. They were of the quadrant team who made Việt Nam world champions twice. 

They switched to the new category several months ago as Việt Nam prepared for the continental multi-sports games.

"We hadn't played doubles before. We were selected to be the first athletes in doubles from the beginning of this year and targeted this 20th ASIAD. It is also our first time at this Asian-level tournament," said Trang.

On the way to Japan, the team tested their skills at the 2026 World Sepak Takraw Championship, known as the King's Cup. 

Despite their inexperience in this format, the Vietnamese made a big bang by defeating powerhouse opponents including hosts and favourites Thailand, as well as rivals Myanmar, to claim a gold medal for the first time.

This historic victory was a strong motivation for them ahead of the ASIAD.

 

 "As it was our first time, we wanted to go as far as possible in this event. Despite being world champions, we couldn't help but feel nervous, especially as we suffered a loss to Laos in the opening match," said Trang.

"We were worried, but we converted it into a push for the entire team. We encouraged each other and we all knew that we had to try harder every single match."

Ly, who was praised for her peak performance in the final, added, "There is no secret at all. We just played with iron will and strong determination. We wanted to bring Việt Nam a victory."

Road to victory

On their way to the podium, Việt Nam overcame Myanmar in the second match, Malaysia in the third match, and South Korea in the semi-finals before beating the Philippines in the final.

While South Korea were expected to be Việt Nam’s toughest hurdle, a crucial mid-match substitution completely shifted the momentum and turned the tide of the game.

Ly and Trang were in the starting line-up as usual, but this familiar setup ran into trouble when the team fell behind South Korea 1-4 and then 3-6.

Coach Trần Thị Vui decided to replace Ly with Liên. Although she was young and inexperienced, Liên not only cooperated with Trang well in defence but also in attack. Việt Nam came back to win 15-6 in the first set and 15-13 in the second one.

In the final match against the Philippines, Ly was back on the court and made a perfect pairing with Trang again to deliver Việt Nam's best performance of the tournament.

“We faced difficulties in our opening match against Laos, which caused some initial setbacks regarding both mentality and technique. However, the players improved with every game, executing the game plan correctly and living up to expectations,” said Vui, who has solidified her status as Việt Nam's most decorated coach across all competition levels.

"The Philippine team was also a big obstacle. Initially, we didn't think that they could beat Laos to reach the final. But they did, proving them a tough rival," said Vui.

"However, after analysing our opponents, we assured the players that Vietnam held the physical edge and needed to exploit it," said the coach.

Ly delivered a spectacular performance. Her powerful, airborne hook shots and tricky serves repeatedly tore through the Philippine defence, complemented by Trang’s rock-solid defensive coverage. Together, they maintained tight coordination to block as many Filipino attacks as possible.

"They were asked to play the best match in the final and they did a fantastic job; there wasn't a single thing to fault," the coach added.

Ly's eyes welled up with tears after the final. "I was very disappointed with my performance in the semi-finals. When I was given a chance again in the final, I performed with all my best," the 23-year-old said. "This makes my incredibly happy year and marks a bold milestone in my career." — VNS