Vietnam sets unprecedented record in Southeast Asia's youth playground

No youth team in the region has won the championship three times in a row like Vietnam.

Vietnam U23 has won the championship for 3 consecutive times. The Southeast Asian U23 tournament has only been held 5 times, but the team has won more than half of the times it has participated. In 2022, after the tournament was held again in the post-COVID-19 era, young Vietnamese talents overcame many difficulties to step up to the throne thanks to the victory over Thailand.

A year later, Thailand hosted the match and was determined to “get revenge” on Vietnam. However, the Thais did not have the chance to do so as they lost 1-3 to Indonesia in the semi-finals. In the final match, Vietnam defeated Indonesia on penalties, with goalkeeper Quan Van Chuan making an excellent save.

And the third time just took place at Bung Karno Stadium on the evening of July 29. With a scientific strategy and a resilient fighting spirit, U23 Vietnam defeated the host. For two consecutive times, Vietnam has defeated the opponent from the archipelago in the final match.

Vietnamese players promise to face many difficulties

The recent victory helped the team create history, not only at the U23 level but also at all youth levels in the region. Accordingly, Vietnam is the only team at all U levels to have won the Southeast Asian championship 3 times in a row.

In the region, there are 3 youth tournament levels including U16, U19 and U23. In the U16 playground, there have been 16 tournaments organized. Myanmar has won the championship twice in a row. In the U19 Southeast Asian tournament, only 1 team has won the championship twice in a row and that continues to be Myanmar.

Winning the U23 Southeast Asian Championship three times in a row has helped Vietnam become a record holder in this playground. If counting the SEA Games, only Thailand has achieved the feat of winning the championship three times in a row like Vietnam. Those are the stages (1981, 1983, 1985; 1995, 1997, 1999 and 2013, 2015, 2017).

Watch the full 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Football Championship Mandiri Cup™ on FPT Play, visit http://fptplay.vn