Coach Kim Sang-sik's Vietnam Seeks Second Consecutive Southeast Asian Championship: "No Room for Complacency"

The Vietnamese national football team, led by Coach Kim Sang-sik, is aiming for its first-ever consecutive title at the Hyundai Cup, Southeast Asia's most prestigious football tournament.

The 2026 ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Hyundai Cup kicks off today, July 24, and runs its heated matches across Southeast Asia until August 26.

Held every two years, the Hyundai Cup determines the strongest football nation in Southeast Asia.

Due to its overwhelming popularity, it is often called the "World Cup of Southeast Asia."

Formerly known by names such as the Suzuki Cup and Mitsubishi Cup, the tournament changed its title sponsor to Hyundai in celebration of its 30th anniversary.

The biggest point of interest is whether defending champions Vietnam can secure back-to-back titles and their fourth championship overall.

After experiencing rapid growth under former coach Park Hang-seo, affectionately known as "Ssal-dink" (combining rice and Hiddink), Vietnam experienced a downturn when Philippe Troussier took the helm.

Following the appointment of Coach Kim Sang-sik in May 2024, Vietnam returned to its status as a powerhouse in Southeast Asia.

Coach Kim immediately led the team to victory at the 2024 Mitsubishi Cup.

He subsequently earned recognition for his leadership by guiding the team to victory at the 2025 AFF U-23 Championship and the 2025 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games.

Having sharpened their teamwork through a pre-tournament training camp in South Korea, Vietnam will compete in Group A alongside Singapore, Indonesia, Cambodia, and East Timor.

Vietnam will play its opening match tonight at 10:30 PM away against East Timor.

The tournament is structured with 10 countries divided into two groups for the group stage, after which the top two teams from each group advance to the semi-finals to determine the champion.

Traditional powerhouse Thailand is cited as Vietnam's main challenger.

Thailand, which holds a record seven titles in this tournament, lost to Coach Kim's squad in the final of the previous tournament with a combined aggregate score of 3-5 over the first and second legs.

Coach Kim said, "ASEAN football has grown even faster since our last championship. All participating countries will have prepared thoroughly, and the competition will be much fiercer than before."

He added, "I always carry in my heart the responsibility of never letting our guard down for even a moment and bringing joy and pride to the Vietnamese people and fans once again. My sense of mission to contribute to the development of Vietnamese football as a South Korean coach remains unchanged."

(Photo provided by DJ Management, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.