Vietnam head coach Nguyen Tuan Kiet remains wary of Alas Pilipinas even after a sweeping win to accomplish a three-peat at the AVC Nations Cup.
Alas Pilipinas gained the respect of Vietnam head coach Nguyen Tuan Kiet after a historic silver-medal finish in the 2025 AVC Nations Cup, where the home team clinched a three-peat at the expense of the Filipinas on Saturday night.
A known powerhouse in the region, Vietnam swept their way to victory against an Alas Pilipinas side that was already assured of their best finish in an AVC tournament.
Despite his team’s mastery over the Philippines, with six straight wins now for Vietnam in their head-to-head matchups, Tuan Kiet had high regard for the Alas team that continued on their rise in Asian volleyball.
[READ: Alas Pilipinas take historic silver as Vietnam completes AVC Nations Cup 3-peat]
“The Philippines team delivered a remarkable performance this season. However, perhaps due to having played a grueling five-set match in the semifinals yesterday, they were drained of energy," said Tuan Kiet via translator.
"Nevertheless, the Philippines will undoubtedly remain a serious contender for Vietnam in this year,” he added.
Vietnam had a near perfect outing in the Nations Cup, having only lost one set overall in their five games in the tournament.
Regardless of their dominance though, Tuan Kiet was keen to the threat of their opponents — especially in Alas.
For him, players like Angel Canino and Bella Belen stood out especially since they were playing with lesser height than Tuan Kiet’s Vietnamese players.
“In addition to familiar faces, player no. 12 and no. 4 stood out with impressive performances despite their modest height,” he said.
At the end of it, Vietnam relished in being able to complete the three-peat, and while each championship was special in its own right, Tuan Kiet said that this time it was special, being able to win in front of their home crowd in Hanoi.
“Every victory is sweet, but winning on home ground is especially exhilarating. It truly delighted our fans here,” he said.
Vietnam and the Philippines will have a short turnaround before meeting again as they are expected to face each other in the upcoming VTV Cup also in Vietnam later this month.
There, Vietnam will field their senior team and an U21 team.