Hot Vietnamese football news today March 4: Korean referee to officiate Vietnam vs India match; Coach Vu Tien Thanh explains reason for going to Ninh Binh

Hot Vietnamese football news today March 4: Korean referee to officiate Vietnam vs India match; Coach Vu Tien Thanh explains reason for going to Ninh Binh.

Korean referee to officiate Vietnam vs India match

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has announced the officiating team for the opening match of the Vietnamese women's national team against India in the 2026 Women's Asian Cup Finals, scheduled for 6:00 PM today, March 4, in Perth (Australia).

South Korean referee Kim Yu-jeong has been assigned to officiate the opening match of the Vietnamese women's national team. The 1990-born referee is also not an unfamiliar face to most Vietnamese football fans.

She previously officiated the match between Vietnam U17 and Australia U17 at the 2025 AFC U-17 Women's Asian Cup and the Vietnam U20 women's match against Indonesia U20 women in the 2024 AFC U-20 Women's Asian Cup qualifiers.

Assisting referee Kim Yu-jeong are two assistant referees: Heba Saadieh (Palestine) and Hinthong Supawan (Thailand). The fourth official is Mahnaz Zokaee (Iran).

In the VAR room, AFC has assigned the responsibility to Mr. Muhammad Taqi, a veteran FIFA referee from Singapore.

Mr. Muhammad Taqi is the first Singaporean referee certified by FIFA as a VAR official, having served at the World Cup, Olympics, Asian Cup, and many major AFC tournaments.

Coach Vu Tien Thanh explains reason for going to Ninh Binh

Technical Director Vu Tien Thanh has been "seconded" to Ninh Binh Club to serve as interim head coach for the next phase of the LPBank V-League 2025/26.

"This is a mission to help Ninh Binh Club restore stability, from organization to playing style. I have experience in this, and Ninh Binh Club is an ambitious team in the V-League.

CAHN Club is a very strong team with a balanced squad that has played together in many tournaments like the AFC, Shopee Cup, and V-League. Overcoming them is very difficult, but football always has surprises.

After three consecutive losses, the team has many issues to address. My task is to help them regain the image of a strong collective like they had at the start of the season."

"This is a short-term assignment. Once Ninh Binh Club stabilizes, I will return to HAGL Club. The academy still has many important projects, including the goal of achieving a 3-star academy standard this year," explained Coach Vu Tien Thanh.

Vietnam U20 confident ahead of Asian tournament

After the Lunar New Year holiday, the Vietnam U20 women's national team has regrouped and quickly resumed training. According to Thao Nguyen, the whole team is gradually improving in terms of fitness, technique, and tactics.

The Vietnam U20 women's national team regrouped on February 23 at the Vietnam Youth Football Training Center under the guidance of head coach Okiyama Masahiko. According to the plan, the team will train in China from March 6 to 14, then move to Ho Chi Minh City from March 15 to 28 to acclimatize to weather conditions similar to the tournament venue in Thailand. Here, the team is scheduled to play two friendly matches against Uzbekistan U20 women on March 24 and 27.

At the 2026 AFC U-20 Women's Asian Cup Finals, the Vietnam U20 women's team is in Group A alongside China, host Thailand, and Bangladesh. With thorough preparation and high determination, Coach Okiyama Masahiko and his players aim to make a positive mark at the continental competition.