HISTORIC MOMENT: Both men's and women's teams won historic medals at the SEA Games 31. Photo: sport5.vn

Xuân Đăng

The first two silver medals at the SEA Games, VBA League back in action, basketball courts welcome the return of fans after the COVID-19 pandemic, the men's national team competes in FIBA Asia 2022 for the first time in more than 60 years are part of what Vietnamese basketball achieved in 2022.

SEA Games historic medals

Like most other countries, football is the king of sports in Việt Nam, so other sports including basketball have not received much attention from the people.

However, this has gradually changed, especially after the 31st SEA Games 2022 in Việt Nam last May.

At the SEA Games, basketball was one of the sports that was expected to bring medals to the host.

For that reason, the Việt Nam Basketball Federation (VBF) had good preparations before the event. Both the men's and women's teams had training sessions in Indonesia, two weeks before the event.

For the men's national team, they called back Vietnamese-American Chris Dienker to join the 3x3 and 5x5 squads.

It is no exaggeration to say that Dienker was a perfect player of the national team, as he showed his great performance to help the team win the silver medal.

“It was great to be back for the national team and play with my former teammates again. I'm always proud when I put on the national team shirt, it really means a lot to me," Dienker said.

"It was really surprising to receive the enthusiastic cheers of the home audience. They gave us a lot of confidence in each match," he added.

Besides Dienker, another factor that helped Việt Nam make history with the first silver medal was Võ Kim Bản.

The 22-year-old player helped the team reach the final after defeating Indonesia.

As a replacement for Khoa Trần a few days before the first match, Bản proved why he was trusted by coach Matt Van Pelt. Bản played very well with accurate three-pointers.

After the semi-final against Indonesia in the 3x3 format, the fans on the stand shouted MVP to praise his excellent performance.

"It was crazy, it was definitely an experience that I will never forget. It was a bit of a pity that we didn't get the gold for the fans, but it was still a great memory," Bản said.

Trương twins' effect

With same scenario as the men's team -- beating Indonesia in the semi-finals and losing to Thailand in the final -- the women's team won its first silver medal in the 3x3 format.

Before the tournament took place, very few people knew about the Vietnamese-American twins sisters -- Trương Thảo My and Trương Thảo Vy.

But after the tournament ended, what this duo brought to Vietnamese basketball is undisputed.

The fact that the two are playing for the Gonzaga Bulldogs team at the NCAA level has made many fans put high hopes on this duo.

Mỹ Linh, 17-year-old basketball fan, said that she was very impressed when she watched the women's team compete, especially the Trương twins.

ROLE MODEL: The Trương twins' effect has inspired and aroused the love of basketball among girls all over the country. Photo: webthethao.vn

"They played with great enthusiasm and created many moments that those who witnessed it live will never forget. I still vividly remember the moment when the 5x5 women's basketball team came back against Malaysia to win with a score of 69-65. The stands exploded with Vy's clutch shot when the match had only 20 seconds left. Even then, My was playing with a dislocated ankle and assisted her sister to make the game winning shot," Linh said.

Sharing about that moment, My said: "If this were a match at the NCAA tournament, I would not continue to play in order to avoid more serious injuries. But this was different, it was for the country that I represent, for the fans, so I could not give up."

"At that time, there was no time for me to think about my injury. Only one thing came to my mind that this is the decisive moment of the game and the team needs me so I came back to the court to play no matter what," My said.

Thanks to the duo's performance, the women's team has left fans with many beautiful memories, thereby inspiring many girls to play basketball.

"The women's team has inspired me a lot, watching them do their best on the court made me love this sport even more. After the SEA Games, I take time to practise every day to look forward that maybe one day I can have such an experience like them," Thanh Đan, a 20-year-old fan, said.

VBA welcomes back fans

The return of fans to the court to watch matches live is what fans and players were waiting for after the COVID-19 pandemic was under control.

Trần Chu Sa, VBA executive director, said that this year was a great season beyond the expectations of the organizers.

"Initially, we just wanted to bring the live basketball experience to the fans after two years of delay due to COVID-19. Fans all over the country cheered the teams with great enthusiasm, thereby helping us to have sold-out matches right from the beginning of the regular season," he added.

VBA back in action after COVID-19. Photo courtesy of VBA

Sang Đinh, captain of Cần Thơ Catfish, said that it was great to see the fans back in the stands supporting the teams.

“The connection between the club and the fans is great. The connection is so good that fans in Cần Thơ even travelled to HCM City to support us whenever we have a home game in our new home court in HCM City,” he said.

Dominique Tham, a rookie on Nha Trang Dolphins, said that he couldn't believe that the cheers of the audience in Việt Nam were so explosive.

"I really appreciate what the fans have given me and the players, it was an unforgettable experience in my career," he said.

Thanks to significant developments, Vietnamese basketball has put its name back on the map.

The men's national team competed in the FIBA ​​Asia Cup 2025 preliminary round.

Although they did not have the expected results at this continental tournament, what they showed at the tournament as well as in the past year was enough for fans to look forward to a new year with many more achievements. VNS