Round 2 of Vietnam's 2026 national men's volleyball championship opened on 28 October at Phú Thọ Arena in Ho Chi Minh City with no upsets: all four favoured teams won. Defending champions Biên Phòng MB swept TP.HCM 3-0 to stretch their unbeaten run to eight matches, and hosts Công an TP.HCM beat Sanest Khánh Hòa by the same score, according to Tuổi Trẻ, Thanh Niên and SGGP.
The day began with Thể Công Tân Cảng dropping the first set 18-25 to Hà Nội, a side Tuổi Trẻ described as one of the surprise packages of the season and a contender for the top four. The army club then took three sets in a row, 25-18, 26-24 and 25-23, to win 3-1, with Tuổi Trẻ crediting their two imports, Rivan Nurmulki of Indonesia and Anthony Cherfan of the United States.
LPBank Ninh Bình followed with a 3-0 win (25-21, 25-18, 25-22) over relegation-threatened Đà Nẵng, with SGGP singling out Indonesia's top outside hitter Boy Arnez Arabi.
In the 17:00 match, coach Huỳnh Văn Tuấn's TP.HCM hoped to topple the champions but lost 25-13, 25-16, 25-22. SGGP said Biên Phòng MB stuck with their regular line-up, led by setter Đinh Văn Duy, while TP.HCM made repeated errors in reception and back-court defence and could not contain outside hitters Nguyễn Ngọc Thuân and Jakkrit Thanomnoi.
After the opening ceremony, Công an TP.HCM beat Sanest Khánh Hòa 25-16, 25-15, 25-19 in the 20:00 match. Thanh Niên reported that the hosts had added two foreign players for this stage, Farhan Halim and Morteza Sharifi, the captain of the Iran team that recently won gold at the 20th Asian Games in Japan.
Results and standings after 28 October
| Match | Score | Sets |
|---|---|---|
| Thể Công Tân Cảng - Hà Nội | 3-1 | 18-25, 25-18, 26-24, 25-23 |
| LPBank Ninh Bình - Đà Nẵng | 3-0 | 25-21, 25-18, 25-22 |
| Biên Phòng MB - TP.HCM | 3-0 | 25-13, 25-16, 25-22 |
| Công an TP.HCM - Sanest Khánh Hòa | 3-0 | 25-16, 25-15, 25-19 |
According to Tuổi Trẻ's table, the top three are unchanged: Biên Phòng MB, Công an TP.HCM and Thể Công. The only movement came mid-table, where LPBank Ninh Bình climbed to fourth and pushed Hà Nội down to fifth. The bottom three remain TP.HCM, Đà Nẵng and Sanest Khánh Hòa, with Thanh Niên noting that Sanest Khánh Hòa are still last.
Background: the format and phase 1
Round 2 and the final round run at Phú Thọ Arena from 28 October to 5 November, with Công an TP.HCM as hosts. The eight teams are playing to settle the group-stage standings: the top four advance to the final round to fight for the title, while the bottom four compete for the only survival place.
SGGP reported that Biên Phòng MB won all seven matches in phase 1, while TP.HCM had won only two of seven. Công an TP.HCM finished phase 1 in second place. Sanest Khánh Hòa, national champions in 2008, 2017, 2020 and 2023, have been in crisis since a wave of key players left and finished phase 1 bottom with one win and six defeats, according to Thanh Niên.
At the opening ceremony, Colonel Lê Công Anh, deputy director of Ho Chi Minh City Police, said the championship would help promote volleyball and promised fans attractive matches, Tuổi Trẻ reported.
What comes next
Four matches are scheduled on 29 October, according to Thanh Niên: Ninh Bình v Thể Công Tân Cảng at 12:00, Đà Nẵng v Biên Phòng at 14:30, Hà Nội v Sanest Khánh Hòa at 17:00 and Công an TP.HCM v TP.HCM at 19:30.
For fans in Ho Chi Minh City, Tuổi Trẻ reported that all matches at Phú Thọ Arena are open to the public free of charge, so spectators can watch in person until this stage ends on 5 November.