Gong Han-Sik is scared of Kim Sang-sik in ChinaVietnam on special alert not to lose hegemony in Southeast Asia

Aug 05, 2025

Gong Han-Sik is scared of Kim Sang-sik in ChinaVietnam on special alert not to lose hegemony in Southeast Asia
Photo =Vietnam Football Association



China is wary of fast-growing Vietnamese soccer.

On the 4th (Korea time), the Chinese media Sohu Dotcom recently successfully concluded the '2025 Southeast Asian Under-23 (U-23) Championship'. In the final match of the championship, Vietnam's U-23 men's soccer team realized their championship-defending dream with a narrow 1-0 victory over host Indonesia. It is the third consecutive victory in the tournament. Vietnam's outstanding performance in the tournament undoubtedly proved that they had a solid place in U-23 football, and highlighted Vietnam's victory, saying they had established themselves as Southeast Asia's `defeat."

China seems to have expected Indonesia to win the Southeast Asian U-23 Championship. The media reported 'In recent years, the power of Indonesian soccer has improved quickly thanks to the massive recruitment of foreign players, and this change has also had a positive impact on the U-23 national team. Indonesia's star striker Jens Raven is a representative naturalized player, and he has scored seven goals in the previous four games. 'With home game advantage and Raven's peak condition, many fans expected Indonesia to hold off Vietnam's dream of a third straight win and win at home.'"




However, Vietnam won the title by blocking Indonesia, which added naturalized players to its home game advantage. With Vietnam's three consecutive losses, head coach Kim Sang-sik's leadership is receiving tremendous praise locally. He became the first coach in history to lead both the national and U-23 teams to victory at the Southeast Asian Championship.

Gong Han-Sik is scared of Kim Sang-sik in ChinaVietnam on special alert not to lose hegemony in Southeast Asia
China is bound to be afraid of Vietnam, which is growing rapidly under Kim Sang-sik. This is because he couldn't win even without head coach Kim Sang-sik. Sohu said 'Notably, in March this year, the Chinese team faced Vietnam. It was held at home, but it was only a 1-1 draw. Obviously against this powerful team, China has not gained any advantage. Looking forward to the upcoming Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-23 Asian Cup, Vietnam will be a strong opponent that Chinese soccer can never take lightly. I hope the young U-23 national team will overcome many difficulties in the future and not suffer an unexpected loss to Vietnam.

China and Vietnam faced off in March this year in the U-22 friendly. At that time, manager Kim Sang-sik could not lead the U-22 team because it was an A-match period in March. In the absence of head coach Kim Sang-sik, Vietnam drew 1-1 with China's U-22 national team. At the U-23 Asian Cup, head coach Kim Sang-sik will lead the team and some of the national team's forces will join, so China will be worried about Vietnam.
Gong Han-Sik is scared of Kim Sang-sik in ChinaVietnam on special alert not to lose hegemony in Southeast Asia
Photo =Vietnam Football Association
Coach Kim Sang-sik is emerging as the No. 1 target for neighboring countries. In Indonesia, manager Kim Sang-sik is called a nightmare. Indonesia's Vanumas media even expressed fears about coach Kim Sang-sik, saying, `Now, to Indonesian soccer fans, the name `Kim Sang-sik` is close to `nightmare` as a person who broke Indonesia's dreams several times.'



This article was translated by Naver AI translator.