Hanoi Shock: From Losing Streak to the 2026 National Women's Volleyball Championship Final

In the final stage of the group phase at the 2026 National Women's Volleyball Championship, Hanoi delivered a massive disappointment: they won all first 8 matches but lost 5 of their last 6. This result dropped the capital team to fourth place, forcing them to face group leaders HCĐG Lao Cai in the semifinals. Some public opinion suggests Hanoi deliberately "chose" their opponent by repeatedly losing. If true, it was a "precise" calculation by coach Nguyen Tuan Kiet's squad. Throughout the group stage, HCĐG Lao Cai showed stable, dominant form to finish first. But that meant little entering the knockout stage, where competitive character and effective tactics are decisive. And in the semifinal on the afternoon of October 24, Hanoi returned to peak form to completely overwhelm HCĐG Lao Cai. In set 1, coach Nguyen Tuan Kiet's team held the lead for most of the set. When they briefly fell behind, they immediately called a timeout to adjust tactics and cool the opponent's momentum. Hanoi's players also showed steadier mentality, helping them score heavily late in the set to win 25-21. In set 2, mentality again kept coach Nguyen Tuan Kiet's team standing. They surged to a 5-1 lead, then made repeated errors and fell behind 9-16. At that point, star quality took over. World champion Brankica Mihajlovic played inspired volleyball, scoring continuously. National team player Le Thanh Thuy also produced effective blocks and powerful attacks. HCĐG Lao Cai again struggled mentally, unable to break the opponent's scoring run. As a result, Hanoi completed a convincing 25-22 comeback. They then won 25-17 to secure a ticket to the final. Notably, Hanoi were only promoted this year but have already shown the character of a title contender thanks to strong squad investment. For HCĐG Lao Cai, they again missed their appointment and have yet to claim their first-ever National Championship title.