The SEA Games are different now
No women's football team has been more successful than Vietnam in the history of the SEA Games. Up to the Southeast Asian Games held in Thailand at the end of this year, women's football has won 8 Gold Medals. In particular, since the 29 2017 SEA Games until now, coach Mai Duc Chung and his team have continuously won the beauty queen title thanks to the admiration of their competitors. However, that does not mean that the Vietnam Women's Team is no longer motivated at the 33rd SEA Games.
Coach Mai Duc Chung commented that the task of protecting the 33rd SEA Games HCV of the Vietnam Women's Team is very heavy. The team has won 4 consecutive HCVs since 2017, making the opponents less competitive. In particular, this year's SEA Games took place in Thailand, where the host women's football team is always a fierce competition, promising many challenges.
Mr. Chung's concern is true to the context of Southeast Asian women's football in the past 2 years. Thailand, after a long period of being surpassed by Vietnam, is trying every way to regain the title in the regional arena. In addition, the Philippines is also ready to aim for the ambition of winning Gold for the first time at the SEA Games.
Remember, in May 2023, the Philippines was the only women's team to defeat Vietnam at the SEA Games. And they also beat Vietnam 4-0 in the semi-finals of the Southeast Asian Championship a year earlier before winning the championship at home.
The 2023 World Cup will see the Philippines make a historic record, becoming the first Southeast Asian Women's Team to win a world tournament.
Competing for the SEA Games Gold Medal with Vietnam is already difficult, and finding easy victories in the group stage as before is not simple. Indonesia, Cambodia - women's teams that were not very famous in the past are also ready to raise their strength with "combined" or naturalized players.
Challenges and motivation
In fact, in the context of the national women's team not competing in official regional or continental tournaments throughout 2024, the Vietnam Football Federation and coach Mai Duc Chung have proactively planned to prepare for the congress taking place at the end of 2025.
The proof is that last October, the team went to train in China and played 2 friendly matches against Uzbekistan (won 2-0) and host China (0-2). This training session helps Hai Yen, Chuong Thi Kieu, Tuyet Dung... maintain their form as well as create opportunities to compete and evaluate with players born in the group of 2000 and later.
In early 2025, Coach Mai Duc Chung actively watched many matches in the National U19 Women's Championship finals. He also noticed some 17-18 year old faces, in order to find the next generation for the seniors in the current Vietnam Women's Team.
Coach Mai Duc Chung said: "I want the young players to join the Vietnam National Team. They will be paired, reminded, and taught by older sisters to make progress. The Vietnam women's football team will see the gap between the older players and the younger players to achieve the goal".
The captain of the Vietnam Women's Team added: "Currently, the National U19 Women's Football Tournament is taking place, my colleagues and I are also following and noticing that there are a few athletes who meet the requirements and are expected to be called up to the national team. In the near future, with the Women's National Cup of the competing clubs, we will continue to select faces that maintain their form and fitness to prepare for the SEA Games at the end of the year. The coaching staff will focus on preparing step by step, hoping to have the best squad and form towards the tournament".
Along with domestic resources, coach Mai Duc Chung is also interested in overseas Vietnamese talents.
"If there are overseas Vietnamese players, the team will be stronger, more qualified and more competitive. However, they need to have Vietnamese nationality first. When overseas Vietnamese players have citizenship, I will call them up to the national team to try out" - the coach born in 1950 said.
