Nagoya, 25 Sep 2026 – Vietnam U23 head coach Dinh Hong Vinh expressed confidence in the country’s emerging generation despite seeing his side’s ASIAD 2026 campaign end with a 4-0 quarter-final defeat to South Korea U23 on September 25.
Vietnam’s journey at the 20th Asian Games came to an end in the last eight, but Dinh Hong Vinh chose to focus on the experience gained by his young squad, particularly the U21 players who were given opportunities at the tournament. The coach also pointed to the demanding recent schedule faced by several members of his team, with players having competed regularly in the V.League 1, the National First Division and recent qualifying matches before arriving at the Asian Games.
“Some of the players have recently been playing continuously in the National Championship, the National First Division and the qualifiers. By this point, many of them have played four or five matches in a short period of time,” Dinh Hong Vinh said. “The second thing is trust. I also wanted to give opportunities to all the players who have the potential to develop further. I trusted the players who went onto the pitch and showed what they could do today. I am truly happy and grateful to all of my players.”
Despite the heavy defeat, the Vietnam coach believes the quarter-final against one of Asia’s strongest teams provided an important test for his younger players and an opportunity to demonstrate their ability under pressure. “A quarter-final like today’s was genuinely helpful for all of my young players when they stepped onto the pitch. Today, they showed their confidence, their courage and the way they operated both in attack and defence,” he said. “I believe the next generation of U21 players can go far, and they will be ready as we prepare for the SEA Games and the U23 qualifiers next year.”
Vietnam also had a goal disallowed during the match, but Dinh Hong Vinh refused to question the decision and stressed that his players accepted the officials’ ruling before continuing to compete. “For me, there are referees on the pitch to make those decisions. All of my players respect the referee’s decision. As you could see, after that situation, the players continued to make an effort and played very well,” the coach said.
The 4-0 defeat brought Vietnam U23’s ASIAD 2026 campaign in Nagoya to a close at the quarter-final stage. Beyond the results, however, the tournament provided valuable competitive experience for a squad containing several young U21 players and gave the coaching staff an opportunity to assess potential members of the next generation.
Those experiences will now form part of Vietnam’s preparations for the next development cycle, with the coaching staff expected to continue evaluating and strengthening the squad ahead of future assignments, including the SEA Games and next year’s U23 qualifying campaign.
VSN/RPT
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