Vietnamese players celebrate their victory over China’s Yunnan club on August 4.

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Vietnam made light work of Yunnan 25-15 in the first set, but everything became more challenging for the home side, as the invitees played with greater concentration and held the second set on to a thrilling score of 23-23.

In such a decisive moment, Vietnam proved to be the better side, with Tran Thi Thanh Thuy producing a clever finish to seal a 26-24 victory for the hosts.

Inspired by the two-set advantage, the Vietnamese women went on to perform brilliantly and promptly claimed the third set 25-21 to wrap up a convincing opening triumph.

In the other matches on the same day, Kazakhstan’s Altay club and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) cruised to respective 3-0 victories over Japan’s Hokkaido University and China’s Sichuan team.

Vietnamese and Yunnan players in action during their opening match on August 4.

Meanwhile, Vietnam’s youth team conceded a 1-3 defeat to Chung Hua University of Taiwan (China) (23-25, 16-25, 26-24, 20-25).

The 2018 VTV Women’s Volleyball Cup is taking place from August 4 to 11, with the participation of eight teams, including six international clubs, the Vietnamese national team, and Vietnamese youth team.

The overall champions will receive a cash prize of US$10,000, while respective stakes of US$7,000, US$5,000, and US$2,000 will be awarded to the next three finishers. The organisers will also offer US$1,000 each as fair-play and consolation prizes.