Unique season up ahead for VBA, the rising basketball league in Vietnam

HO CHI MINH CITY (Vietnam) - As with the majority of events held in 2020, the opening day of the Vietnam Basketball Association (VBA) 2020 season has swerved far from it's initial planned date. Nonetheless, after being pushed back for approximately 3-4 months, the 5^th season of the VBA is finally set to tip off it's first game on Thursday, October 15.

"People are really excited to finally get the league going after waiting for so long, from the fans, players, and people in the basketball community," said Connor Nguyen, a member of the VBA Board of Directors.

This season will be unique in many ways for Vietnam basketball, both in terms of new ideas and innovations the VBA are implementing as well as any other precautions that were needed to be set in place concerning the current situation.

"We'll know a lot more when we start tipping off in the first game and it'll be quite different."

Across the past four seasons, the league had adopted a home-and-away format which saw teams playing around the entire country in front of their hometown fans. That will have to change for this season, in particular, as a precaution considering the current COVID-19 situation that has effected basketball action worldwide.

Instead of playing at home or visiting opposing venues in each game day, VBA teams will now be situated in a "bubble" where they will play games against each other in a single venue for the entire season. The games will be played in a venue that was recently constructed at Studio S4 - Zoo Media, allowing the league to properly and efficiently broadcast each contest.

However, due to the fact that Vietnam have relatively been able to control the COVID-19 situation in the country, teams and players are not required to be "locked down" and extracted from outside contact. Spectators are restricted in the early stages, though Nguyen mentions that the league will observe the opportunity to loosen such restrictions as the season progresses.

For a league that prides itself on their rabid fanbase, this is a tough challenge to overcome which means that they are required to be a bit more creative in how they keep the fans engaged and committed to their teams.

"The VBA is known for fans and with none it'll be a unique situation," Nguyen admits. "It remains to be seen how that plays out, but we’re doing some new things like a reality TV show to put our fans behind the scenes."

The reality TV show, titled "Nguoi Hung San Dau" or "Starting Five", has a basic concept of featuring the journey of all 7 teams in this season leading up to the VBA Playoffs. Across the 12 episodes (at 30 minutes per episode), fans will be able to follow and see how the team practices, trains, or just how they are in every day life.

Even for a league that's only half a decade old, the VBA are excited to push through in this upcoming fifth season. Aside from their rapidly growing fanbase, the league is also proud of being a platform for continuously developing new talents in the country.

"I think that the VBA over the last couple of years have really pushed youth development. Some of the players are really coming of age and will be able to contribute and show out and be the centerpieces or stars of the teams. That's what I would like to say is something to look for," Nguyen said.

Aside from all that, Nguyen emphasizes the importance of being able to get the VBA back in action extends further than just being about basketball.

"I'll put it like this," he said. "We kind of looked at it at less of a basketball standpoint. Things are pretty good in Vietnam… to have the league return like this, it's like a signal to get back to living life. We play a role in that perspective and life goes on. We're still cautious, careful and aware [of the health issues] but we have to move forward."

"That's why we still wanted to continue with the league because sports plays a big role in connecting people together."

The first game of the VBA season which will be played at 7.00 PM (local time) is a rematch of last year's Finals between the reigning champions Saigon Heat and the Cantho Catfish.

Teams

Saigon Heat (Previous season : 9-6, Champions)

Despite being the oldest professional basketball club in Vietnam, the Saigon Heat have long been frustrated with having never won a Playoff game in any league they have competed in. That finally took a turn last season at they not only won their first VBA Playoff game, but went all the way to secure their first VBA title.

Despite a lot of changes in the roster, the Heat are looking as strong favorites to win the title and repeat after securing former Havard Bulldog standout, Christian Juzang, via the No. 1 draft pick this season.

Cantho Catfish (Previous season : 9-6, Lost in Finals)

The Catfish may have ended last season as runners-up, but that doesn't take away their status as arguably the best franchise that the league has seen in it's young existence. Already with one title on their resume and an ongoing run of three consecutive trips to the Finals, the Catfishes record speaks for itself.

The reason behind the success of the club is the play of reigning MVP Tam Dinh. Though he will not be paired up with his younger brother, Sang, this season, Tam alone is already a tough enough task for defenders to figure out.

 

Ho Chi Minh City Wings (Previous season : 8-7, Lost in Semi-Finals)

After reaching the Finals in the inaugural VBA season, the Wings have not been able to find their way back to the final stage of competition. They've regularly had the talent, it just hasn't been falling right in place in the recent years.

There's a possibility that could be the year that the Wings soar back to the Finals. They will be bringing back Vincent Nguyen, who was named VBA Heritage MVP last season. He'll be surrounded with experienced league veterans like Le Ngoc Tu, Nguyen Huyen Hai, and Ngo Tuan Trung.

Thang Long Warriors (Previous season : 7-8, Lost in Semi-Finals)

The Warriors made a splash in their first season playing in the league back in 2017 and won it all. They did it by playing top-notch defense, an identity that they have taken on since.

Former Defensive Player of the Year, Justin Young, has been the Warriors star ever since that championship run and will continue to take on that status this season. As a forward who can do a little bit of everything, Young is crucial to the team's success.

 

Hanoi Buffaloes (Previous season : 7-8, Didn't qualify for Playoffs)

It's been only two seasons since the Buffaloes last made it to the Finals, but it seems like so much longer. More or less, that's because of how much change the team has gone through and they'll also be sporting a new look this season as well.

The team of the capital will have a new featured star in Sang Dinh who will be playing his first VBA season without his brother, Tam, on the same team. This will be his time to shine and the Buffaloes hope he shines brightly.

 

Danang Dragons (Previous season : 5-10, Didn't qualify for Playoffs)

The Dragons went on a miraculous run as the lowest seeded team in the Playoffs of the first ever VBA season to win the title and that's something no one will be able to take away from them. However, even in their championship season, the Dragons have never finished outside the bottom two spots in the standings.

It will certainly help that they have one of the most dominant big men in the entire league in  Chris Dierker, who is returning for another season. Dierker was dominant in his debut year, averaging over 20 points and 10 rebounds per game. Hopefully, the Dragons have been able to surround him with enough talent to get them back to the Playoffs.

 

Nha Trang Dolphins (First season)

The Nha Trang Dolphins are the new kids on the block for this upcoming season and they are looking to -  ahem - make a splash.

They'll be riding the wave of exciting and flashy point guard Tran Dang Khoa, who is coming off a career season with defending champions Saigon Heat. In his third VBA season, the 23-year-old averaged 16.7 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 3.3 steals per game for the Heat. The Dolphins are aiming to get that same production from him (and more) in their league debut.

 

FIBA