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Director Kim Sang-sik's Vietnam, and now even China, are making them nervous.
China's Sohu Dotcom said on the 6th (Korea time) 'Vietnam's U-23 (under 23) national team has jumped to the level of the second division in Asia. It is not a weak team that will be bullied by the Chinese national team,' he reported.
Vietnam's U-23 national team, led by head coach Kim Sang-sik, won 1-0 in the final of the 2025 ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) U-23 Championship against Indonesia's U-23 national team at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta, Indonesia, on July 29. Vietnam achieved a tremendous achievement by winning the final and winning three consecutive tournaments.
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Vietnam, which handed over the baton to Philippe Truscier, who was in charge of the Japanese national team after Park Hang-seo stepped down, decided to break up early. Afterwards, he brought manager Kim Sang-sik. There were concerns about coach Kim, who had a hiatus after leaving Jeonbuk, but through the victory, the concern turned into a cheer. Coach Kim received tremendous praise for leading Vietnam to victory in the 2024 Southeast Asian Football Federation (AFF) Mitsubishi Cup in January 2025 for the first time in seven years since coach Park Hang-seo. Six months after taking office, he won the trophy and began his successful career in the Vietnamese national team. This time, coach Kim's status in Southeast Asian soccer has soared even further by overpowering Indonesia, a rising Southeast Asian emerging powerhouse.
Compliments from Vietnamese media also poured in. A young Vietnamese daily newspaper said, "'Coach Kim Sang-sik wrote the history of Southeast Asian soccer. He showed his calmness to lead the U-23 national team to the championship right after winning the Mitsubishi Cup. With this victory, he made history in Southeast Asian soccer, and the two coaches who led him to the championship earlier did not even take charge of the national team.
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Even China is in a situation where it is afraid of Vietnam, the powerhouse of Southeast Asia. Sohu said 'Vietnam has now solidified one of the two East Asian powerhouses. The final victory ensured that the Chinese national team failed to consider them as underdogs in the Asian Games. Now, China's chances of bullying Vietnam in the future Asian Cup and World Cup qualifiers are greatly reduced,' he said.
Considering the recent situation in China, it may be natural to be afraid of Vietnam. In July, China finished the 2025 East Asian Football Federation (EAFF) E-1 Championship (East Asian Cup) in third place. Third place was a well-foreseen result. But the bigger problem was performance. China disappointed its fans by struggling with Hong Kong as well as its disastrous performance against South Korea and Japan. In this situation, Vietnam's emergence is a factor that could further trouble China in the 2030 World Cup Asian qualifiers.
Director Kim Sang-sik's Vietnam is surprising everyone with good results. Attention is focusing on whether it will be able to overturn the gap with Chinese soccer.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
