Yesterday (December 26), the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) announced an extension of the contract with coach Mai Duc Chung. The Hanoian strategist continues to lead the Vietnamese women's team in the 2026 Asian Women's Championship finals.
The decision was made based on the high consensus between VFF and coach Mai Duc Chung, based on practical requirements for stability, inheritance and continuity in coaching work. It is known that this contract lasts for 4 months.
Speaking more about this decision, VFF Vice President Nguyen Xuan Vu said: "In the previous phase, there was a Japanese candidate leading the Vietnam women's team, but when we sent a letter to Japan, they responded in writing that it was not appropriate. Therefore, VFF continued to sign Mai Duc Chung.
In the next round, to ensure continuity, VFF will extend the contract with coach Mai Duc Chung for 4 months to take charge of the 2026 Asian Women's Football finals. VFF has prepared after coach Mai Duc Chung's departure and will announce it when there is official information. In the immediate future, we must prepare carefully for the tournament taking place early next year".
This is an important period for the Vietnamese women's team, in the context of the 2026 Asian Women's Championship taking place in early March 2026, and is also a tournament that is considered an achievement to consider the Asian representative for the 2027 Women's World Cup.
After completing the task at the 33rd SEA Games, the Vietnam women's team needs to maintain stability in terms of expertise, playing style and team management to ensure the best preparation for the continental arena.
According to the plan, in January 2026, the women's team will gather and train in China, expected to play two friendly matches. After that, the team will go to Australia - the host country of the 2026 Asian Women's Football Finals for phase two training, with a friendly match before officially entering the tournament.
