Big win over Myanmar, Vietnam team still has weaknesses ahead of the 2026 ASEAN Cup

The 4-0 victory over Myanmar at Thai Nguyen Stadium concluded the long preparation period of the Vietnam national team for the 2026 ASEAN Cup in an almost perfect manner. However, behind that impressive dress rehearsal, there are still many issues to be resolved if the defending champions want to retain the Southeast Asian throne.

Four friendlies, 14 goals scored, only 2 conceded, and no unfortunate injuries are positive signs forCoach Kim Sang Sik. The Vietnam team dominated Myanmar from start to finish, scoring four goals thanks to Xuan Son, Xuan Manh, Hoang Hen, and Dinh Bac.

More importantly, all attacking options proved effective. The center forward scored, the defender scored, the naturalized star scored his first goal for the national team, and a player coming off the bench also scored.

That is what any coach would want before entering an official tournament. Looking broader, four consecutive friendly wins with the attack continuously scoring with many different faces are very encouraging signs.

Xuan Son maintains consistent form,Dinh Baccontinued to make his mark, Xuan Manh still knows how to appear at the right time, and Hoang Hen finally relieved the pressure with his first goal for the national team.

The goal in the 59th minute not only helped Hoang Hen shed the psychological burden after a long wait but also opened up hope for this naturalized striker to explode even more at the ASEAN Cup.

Meanwhile, Truong Tien Anh continues to prove why he is almost irreplaceable on the right flank. The first three goals of Vietnam all came from passes by the Ninh Binh defender. The Vietnam team has a powerful attacking weapon from the right wing.

The goal that made it 2-0 further showed Xuan Manh's special knack for scoring. Since the start of 2025, the Hanoi FC defender has scored three goals in his last nine matches for the national team, an impressive rate for a defensive player.

Coach Kim Sang Sik also had additional joy as his experiments paid off. Goalkeeper Patrik Le Giang had a fairly solid debut with many reasonable decisions, good footwork, and good reading of the game.

Nhat Minh was encouraged to push forward to support attacks in the left-center-back position, whileTai Loccontinued to be used in midfield to test the versatility of the Brazilian-born player.

However, the rehearsal still left many question marks. That is the ability to build up play. Despite controlling the game completely, Vietnam still lacked coherence at many times. It's possible that Coach Kim Sang Sik is still deliberately hiding important tactical patterns before the ASEAN Cup.

The left flank also did not provide reassurance. The coordination between Van Hau and Nhat Minh lacked understanding in covering, allowing Myanmar to have at least two dangerous chances from attacks on this side. If facing stronger opponents like Thailand or Indonesia, those gaps could be costly.

In the center of defense, Thanh Chung has not yet provided the same solidity as Do Duy Manh. The Hanoi FC center-back handles safely, but his leadership, reading of the game, and support for teammates are not as stable as his injured senior.

The role of Duy Manh after the era of Que Ngoc Hai thus becomes even more important, as he not only defends but also leads the coordination of the entire system. In attack, Tai Loc still needs more time to integrate.

Nevertheless, overall, the Vietnam teamhas achieved the goals of the training camp. The squad is more connected, many attacking options have been tested, players are hitting form, and most importantly, no unfortunate injuries occurred.

The victory over Myanmar is not yet a measure of the true strength of the Vietnam team. But it is enough for Coach Kim Sang Sik to enter the 2026 ASEAN Cup with confidence that his framework is ready.