The most distinctive face among the captains of the women's volleyball clubs participating in the Hoa Lu Binh Dien Cup 2026

The Hoa Lu Cup 2026 volleyball tournament, one of the important opening competitions for indoor volleyball in Vietnam this year, will officially commence on March 18 in Ninh Binh.

Alongside the professional competition among the teams, this season also brings a notable highlight as many female players are for the first time entrusted with the captain role at their clubs, marking a generational transition and the coaching staff's trust in the new leaders.

According to the registration list, this year's tournament features the participation of six women's teams: LPBank Ninh Binh (the host team), VTV Binh Dien Long An, Signal Corps, Vietinbank, Hanoi, and Long Son Thanh Hoa Cement.

For the host team LPBank Ninh Binh, coach Thai Thanh Tung decided to hand the captain's band to outside hitter Nguyen Thi Uyen. The hitter born in 1999 just parted with her former club Geleximco Hung Yen to join the women's volleyball team of the ancient capital and was immediately assigned to take on the leadership role of the team.

Nguyen Thi Uyen is a national team player and is highly regarded due to her stable performance as an outside hitter. Besides her effective attacking ability, this hitter also stands out for her disciplined spirit and professional playing attitude.

These factors helped her gain trust to be entrusted with the responsibility of leading the LPBank Ninh Binh collective, the team that is the reigning champion of the tournament after winning the 2025 season. The coaching staff expects Nguyen Thi Uyen and her teammates to continue maintaining their strength to defend the title at the Hoa Lu – Binh Dien Cup 2026. Notably, Nguyen Thi Uyen is the most special captain among the six captains of the clubs competing in the Hoa Lu Binh Dien Cup this year because she is the captain but also a newcomer at her club.

At the Signal Corps team, the captain role this season is for the first time given to opposite hitter Hoang Thi Kieu Trinh. The hitter born in 2001 is one of the prominent faces of Vietnamese women's volleyball in recent years.

Kieu Trinh frequently appears in the national team and has achieved many notable achievements at both club and national team levels. Previously, the captain's band of Signal Corps belonged to setter Doan Thi Lam Oanh during the 2025 season.

Kieu Trinh taking over this role is seen as a new step in her career, while also reflecting the coaching staff's expectations for the leadership ability of the young hitter.

Meanwhile, the tradition-rich team VTV Binh Dien Long An continues to maintain stability by entrusting the spiritual leadership responsibility to setter Vo Thi Kim Thoa.

Kim Thoa has taken on the captain role since the second phase of the 2025 National Championship and continues to be trusted this season. As a national team player, Kim Thoa stands out with her intelligent playstyle, good tactical coordination ability, and disciplined competitive spirit. These qualities help her receive strong support from teammates and become an important spiritual pillar for the Western region team.

At the Long Son Thanh Hoa Cement team, the coaching staff decided to hand the captain's band to opposite hitter Doan Thi Xuan. During the team's departure ceremony before heading to Ninh Binh to participate in the tournament, Doan Thi Xuan represented the entire team to express their determination to compete wholeheartedly to achieve the best results in this season.

Last year, she was once called up to the Vietnamese women's volleyball national team during preparations for the 33rd SEA Games. However, this hitter proactively requested to withdraw to focus on treatment and injury recovery, showing caution to ensure the best physical condition for her long-term career.

In another development, the Hanoi women's team continues to place trust in setter Vi Thi Yen Nhi in the captain role. Under the guidance of coach Nguyen Tuan Kiet, the capital's women's volleyball team arrived early in Ninh Binh to prepare for the tournament.

Yen Nhi is evaluated as a player with stable performance over many consecutive seasons. In the 2025 season, she played prominently and contributed greatly to helping the Hanoi women's team win the National A Division Championship, thereby creating a positive psychological momentum before entering the new season.

Meanwhile, former national team player Tra Giang is expected to be the captain of the Vietinbank club. This veteran middle blocker born in 1992 is the most experienced player of Vietinbank and she is also the player with the highest seniority in this season's National Volleyball Championship. Tra Giang has played 18 consecutive seasons in the Vietnamese National Volleyball Championship.

The appearance of many new captains at the Hoa Lu Cup 2026 not only carries professional significance but also reflects the process of rejuvenating the forces within the women's teams.

The new leaders are expected to generate positive energy, helping the teams compete cohesively and bringing a vibrant season right from the early days of the year for Vietnamese volleyball.