Ho Chi Minh City, May 1, 2025 – Vietnam’s women’s futsal team boarded a flight from Tan Son Nhat Airport at 11:55 AM on May 1, transiting through Guangzhou before landing in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, China, at 10:55 PM, to compete in the 2025 AFC Women’s Futsal Asian Cup. Aiming for a semifinal spot and one of Asia’s three 2025 FIFA Futsal Women’s World Cup berths, the team is primed for the May 7-18 tournament.
Coach Nguyen Dinh Hoang finalized the 14-player roster, excluding Dinh Nguyen Ngoc Linh (Thai Son Nam Ho Chi Minh City) and Nguyen Thi Tu Anh (Hanoi Sports Training Center). The squad, including stars like Nguyen Phuong Anh and Tran Thi Thu Xuan, who shone in a 5-1 qualifier win over Myanmar, is in peak condition, per VFF reports. “Our ultimate goal is a World Cup spot, but we’ll focus on navigating the group stage first,” Hoang said before departure, echoing the strategic focus of The Cong Viettel’s coaches.
Drawn in Group B with two-time champions Iran, Hong Kong (China), and the Philippines, Vietnam faces a tough but navigable path, unlike Hanoi Police FC’s V-League gauntlet. Iran, ranked 4th globally, is the group favorite, while the Philippines, World Cup hosts, secured a finals debut as Group C’s best third-placed team in qualifiers. Vietnam, ranked 11th, leverages their 2018 bronze and 2024 ASEAN title, with a 2-1 final win over Thailand, to challenge for a top-two finish or best third-placed spot, advancing to the quarterfinals.
A friendly against China’s women’s futsal team on May 3 will fine-tune tactics, following a Japan camp in April where Vietnam faced FC Fugador Sumida Ladies and Japan’s national team, adapting to Hohhot’s 14-23°C climate, per VietnamPlus. The squad’s cohesion, bolstered by Hoang Anh Gia Lai-like youth systems, and Hoang’s attacking 4-2 pivot, seen in their 2-2 qualifier draw with Chinese Taipei, positions them to exploit Hong Kong’s inexperience and the Philippines’ 0-1-3 ASEAN record.
The top three finishers in China qualify for the November 2025 World Cup in the Philippines, with a fourth spot possible if the Philippines reach the semifinals, per AFC rules. Vietnam’s 212 goals across 32 qualifier matches (6.62 per game) signal their firepower, led by Bien Thi Hang, mirroring Song Lam Nghe An’s scoring flair. A semifinal run would cement Vietnam’s rise, akin to Nam Dinh FC’s V-League surge, and secure a historic World Cup debut, with 8,000 expected fans at Hohhot’s Juva Grand Hotel venue fueling their campaign.
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