Hưng Yên's women's volleyball team have been relegated from Vietnam's 2026 national club championship after a 0-3 defeat by Ngân hàng Công Thương (VietinBank) in their final match on the afternoon of 25 October in Vĩnh Long, SGGP reported. The sets went 13-25, 25-27 and 19-25. Coach Trần Văn Giáp's side finished 8th and will drop into the national A-league (hạng A) from 2027.

One win all season

According to SGGP, Hưng Yên lost 7 matches in the first-stage group, 6 in the second-stage group and 2 in the final classification round. Their only victory came against the Hà Nội women's team on the last day of the second-stage group, by which point it no longer mattered.

The players were in tears after the final whistle. Even so, SGGP wrote that the relegation came as little surprise to fans or to people in the sport.

A thin, young and underfunded squad

SGGP said the team were hit hard by the departure of captain and national-team outside hitter Nguyễn Thị Uyên, who joined Ninh Bình at the start of 2026. This year's line-up leaned on inexperienced youngsters:

  • seven 17-year-olds
  • two 19-year-olds
  • one 21-year-old
  • one 23-year-old
  • two 24-year-olds

The most experienced player is captain Nguyễn Thị Hương, a 36-year-old. SGGP pointed to two big problems: a lack of money and a lack of high-level attackers. One bright spot was Đỗ Lại Yến Nhi, called up to Vietnam's women's national team in 2026, though the paper said she could not provide the breakthrough the team needed. The players stayed positive, but with so little depth Giáp was, in SGGP's words, powerless to change the outcome.

From 2022 champions to the second tier

SGGP noted that the Hưng Yên women's team grew out of the former Thái Bình team, a side with a long tradition in Vietnamese women's volleyball. This is not the first time they have fallen out of the top flight. Their recent path, compiled by KBVN+ from SGGP's report:

  • 2019: relegated after poor results.
  • 2021: back in the national championship after a quick promotion.
  • 2022: national champions under Trần Văn Giáp.
  • 2026: lost to Ngân hàng Công Thương in the final match on 25 October, finished 8th and went down.
  • 2027: will play in the national A-league.

What's next

Hưng Yên will play in the national A-league in 2027. SGGP does not see it as the end: with good squad preparation, the paper believes Giáp and his team have a fair chance of returning to the national championship in 2028. Last time, after going down in 2019, they were back in the national championship by 2021 and won it a year later.

For the top of this year's championship, see: Women's volleyball national championship final 2026: Hà Nội Tasco Auto meet Binh chủng Thông tin.