I've also been trying to research information on the basketball scene in Vietnam. There seems to be no true professional league. The national team seems to be a squad thrown together with the top amateur players in the country. I 'd love to see Vietnam develop their Basketball program more. Heck, I 'd love to take part in developing Vietnam's Basketball program. I finish up my masters in sports management soon and wouldn't turn down a trip to go back to Vietnam to coach.
i'm still hoping Vietnam will compete in the SEABA championship this year
and i hope all SEA team will equal as RP team in term of quality...
Looks like someone in Vietnam is finally stepping up to promote the game in Vietnam. Big ups to Saigon Sports Academy for having the balls to place a team in Saigon, not knowing if there will be any type of support for them. I've been looking all over the internet and there is very little talk about the team.. embarrassing. But give it time. I'm sure the game will grow wildly as Saigon Heat gets a couple seasons under its belt.
How good are the Vietnamese?
I haven't followed Asian Int'l ball in a while, but just curious if the Vietnamese even have an International team...if so, how have they progressed over the past 10yrs? Thanks.
Vietnamese do have a National Team but I don't think they're very good. A few years back there was news that the Vietnamese team was going to compete in the Asia Games or something, but because they weren't probably going to win a medal, funding was taken back and they were not sent to play.
Vietnam is currently ranked 96 among FIBA teams.
http://www.fiba.com/pages/eng/fc/FIB...84/nfProf.html
Just looking at the junior level, they went 0-5. Their tallest player was around 187cm/6'1" which obviously isn't good enough to compete.
http://nhatrang2011.fibaasia.net/Tea...ls.aspx?id=110
However, Vietnam does allow dual-citizenship now. I suspect that if Vietnam really wants to get better in basketball, they could do something similar to the Philippines, where they give dual-citizenship at a young age thus allowing more "Vietnamese" talent to play for their team.
There's also a team called, Saigon Heat, in the ASEAN league. Outside of the Philippines, doesn't seem like most SouthEast Asians teams have serious potential to breakthrough Asia right now.
http://www.aseanbasketballleague.com/stats/standings
http://www.saigonheat.com/vi
Last edited by DarknessFalls; 05-27-2012 at 10:32 PM. Reason: fixed grammar
Here was an article regarding that FIBAU16 championship tournament that they hosted.
http://www.fibaasia.net/InterviewDetails.aspx?id=140
16/10/2011
VIE - Vietnam “excited and nervous” about maiden appearance
NHA TRANG CITY, Vietnam (2nd FIBA Asia U16 Championship): For a team which is not only hosting its first ever FIBA Asia event, but also participating in a FIBA Asia event for the first time, Vietnam exude a level of enthusiasm and effervescence that belies their minnows status.
“We might be new and inexperienced, but we hope to make up for that with our passion, commitment and intensity,” said the coach of Vietnam’s first ever international team Nguyen Thien Son.
Standing at an average height of 177.33 cms, Vietnam bring in the shortest team overall, but “again we will try to make up for our shortcomings with our hard work,” Thien Son said.
“Of course I am proud,” the 30-year-old said of coaching a team from this SEABA nation in their maiden international appearance.
“I’m also equally excited and nervous at the same time,” he said.
“Look, we know our limitations and shortcomings. Therefore I would prefer to play it low,” he said asked about his team’s chances.
“We hope to catch the attention of the sports fans in Vietnam with our performance. From a basketball point of view, I hope this team is a starting point for many more participations,” the coach said during a stretching session on Saturday.
“Considering this is the youngest age group, I knowing many players here are inexperienced, but I have to confess my players are the lowest rung in that factor. Therefore my only message to them has been ‘Let’s give our best. We should not look bad for want of trying.’ I’d like to keep it as simple as that,” Thien Son said.
“We got lucky with the draw, which means we get to play more games against stronger teams,” Thien Son said about being grouped in Group D for the Preliminary Round with Philippines and Indonesia – all three assured of a place in Second Round.
“We love this opportunity. It all depends on how well utilize it,” he said.
Talking about the process of forming the team, Thien Son explained: “We actually have a lot of tournaments for young players in Vietnam. The core of this team was formed from the National U17 games, but we also picked a few others from outside that.”
“It’s not that Vietnamese fans are new to basketball. Games from the NBA are very popular here. It’s time to show them (Vietnamese fans) that even their team is capable of playing good basketball,” Thien Son said.
“Irrespective of the results of the games, I am sure that Vietnamese basketball and its future will be richer by this experience,” he said.
Vietnam open their campaign against Indonesia immediately after the Opening Ceremony.
Vietnam has a team in ABL the Saigon heat
Ecstatic about hearing that almost all of Saigon Heat's home games at Tan Binh Stadium were sellouts! They also had former NBAer Julius Hodge on their squad. There is no where to go but up from their first season!
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