U23 Vietnam: From SEA Games Glory to the Threshold of Asia

The SEA Games 33 championship in Bangkok was a shining moment but also a milestone that opened a new challenge for U23 Vietnam, an immediate test ahead.

After winning gold through a dramatic comeback against U22 Thailand, Coach Kim Sang Sik’s team only had a few days of short rest before entering the preparation phase for the 2026 AFC U23 Championship, where the opponents’ level, speed, and fitness are significantly higher.

1. Exactly 8 years ago, U23 Vietnam achieved victory over U23 Thailand at the M-150 Cup friendly tournament. That was the closest win at the U23 level before our comeback at Rajamangala Stadium on the night of December 18. As known, after that match, at the 2018 AFC U23 Championship, Vietnamese football entered a golden era.

Expectations may be similar for the two U23 teams, but the circumstances are quite different. Eight years ago, Park Hang Seo’s U23 team rose from silence to brilliance, leaving a stunning milestone for the next generations. Meanwhile, Kim Sang Sik’s young team is moving from this peak to an even bigger mountain. They face pressure, judgment, and caution. They are walking in the light.

At SEA Games 33, Coach Kim Sang Sik’s players followed the path of a champion: starting slow, then accelerating and giving their all in the final sprint. In this golden campaign, U22 Vietnam showed two qualities any great team needs: courage and discipline.

The comeback final against host Thailand was not just an emotional performance but also a confirmation of maturity in competitive thinking. The players did not give up after being two goals down; they maintained composure, endurance, and confidence in their style, which was once a chronic weakness of Vietnamese youth football.

This is the familiar way Coach Kim Sang Sik builds his team: systematic. From the national team to the U23s, Coach Kim rarely looks at results to shape the playing style. He differs from predecessors by enjoying “molding” players, even if it means breaking the taboo of changing the starting lineup in every official match. Perhaps he dares because he trusts the system his players understand well.

Even the so-called “magic” in Kim’s substitutions at SEA Games 33 followed this. The two substitutions in both the semi-final and final were the same, yet the match contexts were clearly different. So why was the effectiveness incredibly precise? Văn Thuận and Thanh Nhàn are not football robots! The core lies in the system Coach Kim Sang Sik has built. In other words, the U22 team at SEA Games is a highly organized unit that executes tactical adjustments well. Figuratively, it is programmed football. Just change the command, and the operation changes.