Vietnam Women Aim for ASEAN Cup 2025 Victory
Vietnam's women's national football team is preparing for a challenging journey in the ASEAN Cup 2025, aiming to bring home the trophy. Coach Mai Đuc Chung and his staff are working tirelessly to build a strong and comprehensive squad, with the goal of winning the tournament.
The ASEAN Cup 2025 is a significant opportunity for the team, as they will be playing at home. The tournament takes place from August 6 to 19, 2025, with matches held in Hai Phong’s Lach Tray Stadium and Viet Tri Stadium in Viet Tri, Vietnam.
Vietnam has been drawn into Group A alongside Thailand, Indonesia, and Cambodia. The group stage promises to be competitive, with each match presenting its own set of challenges. Vietnam will face tough opponents, including a renewed rivalry with Thailand, a historically strong side, and unpredictable challenges from Indonesia and Cambodia.
The fixture against Thailand will be crucial, as the two teams have a long-standing rivalry, with Vietnam winning three times and Thailand four times. The pressure of hosting the championship adds to the challenge, as the team will be expected to perform well in front of the home crowd.
Indonesia and Cambodia, while not champions historically, have qualified through the 2024 AFF Women’s Cup and can present an unpredictable challenge. Indonesia finished 10th in historical appearances, while Cambodia is returning for their 4th time, showing their growth.
Southeast Asian women's football is improving rapidly, with neighboring teams like the Philippines (defending champions) and Australia U23 raising the competitive bar. Vietnam will need to match or exceed these improvements to succeed.
The team has been training since June, including foreign training camps, friendly matches, and official competitions such as the Asian Cup 2026 qualifiers. The coaching staff has made better strategic decisions based on lessons learned from failures at the ASEAN Women's Championship 2022 and ASIAD 2023, attributed to player exhaustion from ongoing major tournaments.
The winner of Group A will face the runner-up of Group B, and vice versa, in the semi-finals of the ASEAN Cup 2025. The team has been one of the most successful teams in Southeast Asian women's football over the past six years, having won the SEA Games 30, 31, and 32, the ASEAN Cup 2019, finished fifth in the Asian Cup 2022, and secured a spot in the 2023 World Cup.
Player Tran Thi Ha Hai Linh stated that the team must develop good physical fitness and resilience to compete against taller opponents. To build endurance and resilience, the team is focusing on sand training.
Host nation Vietnam will play all three of their group-stage matches in Viet Tri Stadium. The team is determined to make their home advantage count and bring the ASEAN Cup trophy to Vietnam. The success of the team will depend on managing these challenges effectively as the tournament unfolds.
- The AI-driven training programs used by Coach Mai Đuc Chung and his staff could help improve the physical fitness of the athletes, thereby giving Vietnam's women's national football team an edge in the ASEAN Cup 2025.
- In the realm of women's health-and-wellness, Tran Thi Ha Hai Linh, a key player on the team, stresses the importance of focusing on sand training to enhance endurance and resilience in preparation for taller opponents.
- The home crowd will not only cheer for Vietnam's women's national football team during the ASEAN Cup 2025, but also boost their sports performance, as the team determination lies in making their home advantage count.
