Vietnamese Football: Aiming for the Top | National Team Goals

Nguyen Thuy Linh mounts in grade.

According to the Badminton World Federation (BWF) rankings released yesterday, Vietnamese Nguyen Thuy Linh, world number one, moved up two places, from 23rd to 21st position. To achieve this progression at the start of 2026, Nguyen Thuy Linh brilliantly beat former world champion Pusarla Sindhu (India, 12th in the world), thus qualifying for the second round of the women’s singles of the Indian Open, which has just ended.

Immediately after the Indian Open, Nguyen Thuy Linh continued his career at the Indonesia Masters. His opponent in the first round, which takes place today, is Lin Hsiang-ti (Taiwan, 20th in the world). Facing an opponent who seems to be of equal strength, the player from Dong Nai province is determined to win to go further in the tournament.

With the main objective of qualifying for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games, Nguyen Thuy Linh is expected to participate in around fifteen international tournaments in 2026 in order to accumulate points and maintain a good ranking in the BWF rankings. The Vietnamese badminton number one reached 17th in the world, her best career ranking. At 28 years old, she maintains remarkable form and represents the main hope of Vietnamese badminton on the international scene.

A precious opportunity for Vu Ha Minh Duc

To help Vietnam’s top male tennis players compete at the highest level on home soil, the Vietnam Tennis Federation (VTF) is organizing four ATP Challenger 50 Series professional tennis tournaments, which will take place from January to June 2026, in Phan Thiet.

As the host country, Vietnam enjoyed several invitations to participate in the qualifiers and the main draw. Thanks to this, the young 23-year-old talent, Vu Ha Minh Duc, made his debut in the first round of the ATP Challenger 50 tournament. Minh Duc failed to create a surprise against veteran Arthur Weber (France, 436th in the world), losing 0-2 (0/6, 0/6) and being eliminated in the first round yesterday. However, training and playing against professional players allowed Minh Duc and other Vietnamese players to perfect their technique and familiarize themselves with the professional environment.

In addition to organizing four ATP Challenger 50 tournaments, Vietnam also hosts four events of the men’s World Tennis Tour, under the aegis of the International Tennis Federation (ITF). These tournaments, at a lower level than the ATP Challenger, offer Minh Duc the opportunity to achieve victories and accumulate points. Along with tournaments played at home, Minh Duc and other Vietnamese players also participate in professional tournaments abroad to accumulate points and perfect their game.

Thanh Thúy proves his talent in Japan.

Driven by the desire to conquer professional volleyball, the captain of the Vietnamese women’s national volleyball team, Tran Thi Thanh Thuy, joined the Gunma Green Wings to participate in the Japanese volleyball championship.

Playing in the continent’s first division professional championship, Thanh Thúy demonstrated her talent and established herself as a starter in the Gunma Green Wings team. A key scorer, she actively contributes to her team’s high ranking in the Japanese volleyball league. Thanks to her experience in Japan, Thanh Thúy has maintained her best level and is ready to represent the Vietnamese women’s volleyball team in this year’s international competitions, including the 20th Asian Games (ASIAD 20) which will be held in September in Japan.