The 1-1 draw against India on October 12th extended coach Kim Sang-sik’s winless streak to four matches since taking charge of the Vietnamese national team.
Both Vietnam and India entered this friendly during the FIFA Days window in October with poor form. Vietnam had won just once in their last 10 matches, while India had been winless in theirs, with a mix of draws and losses. The performance at Thien Truong Stadium reflected this instability, making the result even more frustrating for Vietnam, especially given the fact they were playing at home and ranked 10 places higher than India in the FIFA rankings.
For this match, Kim Sang-sik continued his experimentation by fielding Bui Vi Hao as the central striker, supported by Nguyen Hoang Duc and Nguyen Van Toan. Although Vi Hao didn’t stand out for most of the match, the 2000-born forward continued his scoring form, reminiscent of his impact in the AFC U23 Championship earlier this year.
Vi Hao scored the opening goal for Vietnam in the 38th minute during a tightly contested match. After Que Ngoc Hai’s header was deflected from a corner, Vi Hao was in the right place to strike powerfully. His shot took a deflection off an Indian defender, catching goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu off-guard.
Earlier, Vietnam had a golden opportunity to take the lead through a penalty in the 12th minute, which Vi Hao had earned. However, team captain Que Ngoc Hai’s weak shot to the lower right was easily saved by Sandhu. It was a rough day for the experienced defender, who not only missed the penalty but also contributed to India’s equalizing goal in the second half. He failed to track Farukh Haji properly, allowing the Indian forward to chip the ball over goalkeeper Filip Nguyen in the 48th minute to make it 1-1.
In response to the equalizer, coach Kim made several substitutions, but they didn’t have the desired effect. For much of the second half, Vietnam’s attack looked sluggish, even with the addition of players like Khuat Van Khang, Nguyen Tien Linh, and Nguyen Dinh Bac. The defense also struggled to control the ball and left dangerous gaps that India could have exploited further if they had been more clinical.
It wasn’t until the 70th minute, when Nguyen Van Quyet and Nguyen Quang Hai came on, that Vietnam began to regain control. Quang Hai had several dangerous shots, all supplied by Van Quyet, but a combination of poor luck and good goalkeeping by Rahul Shankar kept Vietnam from regaining the lead.
Vietnam found themselves in a few precarious situations late in the game as India launched several counterattacks. At one point, central defender Nguyen Thanh Chung had to commit a blatant foul to prevent an Indian player from breaking through in injury time.
The overall performance of Vietnam was similar to their disappointing showings in September’s international window. The team’s play lacked creativity and spark, despite coach Kim’s efforts to experiment with new tactics and players. Bui Vi Hao was one of the few bright spots, showing promise as a goal scorer, while Nguyen Van Toan displayed flashes of brilliance but struggled with finishing early in the match.
The lackluster display likely contributed to the subdued atmosphere at Thiên Trường Stadium. Known for their passionate support, the Nam Dinh fans were notably absent, leaving many empty seats. This match marked Vietnam’s fourth consecutive failure to secure a win, following losses to Iraq in the World Cup 2026 qualifiers and friendly defeats to Russia and Thailand.
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