HA NOI — Trang An Ninh Binh have helped Thai player Kitsada Somkane get Vietnamese citizenship so he can play in the second round of the National Volleyball Championship, which began on December 4.

The games will be played in Khanh Hoa and Ha Tinh provinces.

Somkane, 26, will go by the Vietnamese name Nguyen Van Da. Earlier, the centre player, who is 1.9m tall, was in the Thailand national team. He stood fourth in Asian Games in 2010 and has won the Southeast Asian Games three times.

Previously, Da has played as a foreign player for Thep Viet and Sanest Khanh Hoa.

Coach Nguyen Manh Hung said the players in his team are currently rejuvenating. Da will be a key player and will help strengthen the attack line, along with other players such as Nguyen Thanh Tung, Giang Van Duc and Nguyen Xuan Thanh. Hung hopes his team will be one of the contenders for the winning title this season.

Trang An Ninh Binh are in Group B, along with reigning champions Maseco, Vinh Long, Bien Phong, HCM Public Security and hosts Ha Tinh.

In Group A, Sanest Khanh Hoa are strongest team and will play against The Cong, Long An, Ben Tre and Military Corp 4. — VNS