On August 1, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MOCST) held a meeting and rewarded the U23 Vietnam Team for their achievements in the 2025 U23 Southeast Asian Championship in Indonesia.
Member of the Party Central Committee, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Van Hung sent his congratulations to the U23 Vietnam team, and highly appreciated the competitive spirit, determination and perseverance of the young players. The Minister said that the third consecutive championship of U23 Vietnam is not only a proud milestone in the journey of developing youth football, but also creates a positive effect in the community, contributing to strengthening the belief in the sustainable development of the country's football.
However, Minister Nguyen Van Hung emphasized that this is not a stop but only a stepping stone for bigger goals ahead. The players must not rest on their laurels on the victory, because from now until the end of the year, U23 Vietnam has two important and highly competitive tournaments, the 2026 U23 Asian qualifiers and the 33rd SEA Games.
These are all playgrounds at the continental and regional levels, requiring careful preparation in terms of expertise, physical strength and competition mentality.
The Minister suggested that the coaching staff review the entire plan, strengthen training, build a team with depth to overcome the qualifying round and achieve high results at the SEA Games arena. He expressed his hope that the team will continue to promote its youth, bravery and dedication to bring more success to Vietnamese sports.
In response to the affection, head coach Kim Sang-sik, on behalf of the team, sent his thanks to the leaders of the Party, State, Government and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism for always caring for and creating favorable conditions throughout the training and competition process.
He said that receiving the Prime Minister's congratulatory letter after the final match was a great honor for him personally and the whole team. In the immediate future, U23 Vietnam will focus on two key goals: the U23 Asian qualifiers and the 33rd SEA Games. In particular, the SEA Games is always a tournament of special significance to Vietnamese football.
VFF President Tran Quoc Tuan also shared that the 2025 U23 Southeast Asian Championship is the first result of the year, and at the same time, it is a testament to the correct orientation in developing youth football.
He affirmed that VFF has been preparing a comprehensive plan to aim for the U23 Asian qualifiers and the 33rd SEA Games, with the goal of qualifying and competing for medals in the regional arena - first of all, to participate in the SEA Games finals.
At the ceremony, the U23 Vietnam National Team and individuals with outstanding contributions were awarded Certificates of Merit by the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. The representative of the Vietnam Olympic Committee also awarded 500 million VND to the entire team...
Responding to an interview with Lao Dong Newspaper after winning the 2025 U23 Southeast Asian Championship with U23 Vietnam, Coach Kim Sang-sik said: The recent U23 Southeast Asian Championship was the effort and sweat of the players. Along with that, the coaching staff analyzed the tactics of the players and opponents to create that success. I also hope that when I touch something, it will turn gold.
For me, the goal of the SEA Games is definitely to win the championship. We try to regain confidence in the competition to achieve the goals we have set.
