Coach Phạm Thị Kim Huệ of LPBank Ninh Bình takes part in a draw of the National Men's and Women's Volleyball Championships on March 21 in Hà Nội. Photos courtesy of Vietcontent

 HÀ NỘI — The National Men’s and Women’s Volleyball Championships will begin next month in Hà Nội, promising a series of thrilling matches.

Both competitions will be held over two rounds, with the qualification stage scheduled from April 6 to 19 at Đông Anh Gymnasium, where eight teams in each category will compete in a two-round round-robin format.

The top four teams will advance to the finals to compete for the titles, while the remaining teams will compete in the classification rounds for fifth through eighth place. 

The women’s finals will take place from October 14 to 26 in Vĩnh Long Province, followed by the men’s finals from October 28 to November 8 in HCM City.

The champions will lift the trophies, while the bottom-ranked teams will be relegated to Division A for the following season.

A total prize pool of nearly VNĐ2.3 billion (US$87,500) will be awarded to top-performing teams and outstanding individuals.

Last year, Biên Phòng MB defeated Thể Công Tân Cảng 3–2 to retain the men’s title, while VTV Bình Điền Long An edged LP Bank Ninh Bình 3–2 to defend the women’s crown.

According to Lê Trí Trường, general secretary of the Volleyball Federation of Việt Nam (VFV), the championships are among the top-tier tournaments in the national competition system, bringing together elite athletes, including members of the national team, as they prepare for international competitions in 2026.

The VFV continues to innovate its competition format and apply technology to enhance professional standards. The tournament consistently attracts strong fan interest and is highly regarded by Asian and international federations.

All matches will be broadcast live on VTVcab’s Onsports channel and volleyball-focused social media platforms.

Also on March 21, the VFV announced a busy schedule for the national women’s team in 2026.

With the goal of reaching higher levels in international competition, the team will undergo intensive training from May to September in Bắc Ninh Province before competing in the AVC Women’s Cup from June 6 to 14 in the Philippines.

The national women's volleyball squad are promised a big bonus for winning international tournaments in 2026.

Six weeks later, the team will compete in SEA V.League Week 1 from July 31 to August 2 on home soil, followed by SEA V.League Week 2 from August 7 to 9 in Thailand.

The third event will be the International VTV Cup, scheduled from August 8 to 15 in Phú Thọ Province.

The team will then aim for continental recognition at the Asian Women’s Volleyball Championship from August 21 to 30 in China, followed by the 20th Asian Games from September 16 to 22 in Japan.

This year’s national championships and the national women’s team continue to receive strong support from PetroVietnam Fertiliser and Chemicals Corporation.

In addition to supporting the organisation of national tournaments, the sponsor has pledged bonuses of VNĐ500 million for the national team if they win international titles. The team will receive VNĐ300 million and VNĐ200 million for second- and third-place finishes, respectively. — VNS