Hanoi, 1 August 2026 – The Vietnam national team will have just one full training session to prepare for their pivotal ASEAN Cup 2026 Group A showdown with hosts Indonesia after a demanding travel schedule to Bogor.
On the morning of August 1, head coach Kim Sang-sik and his squad departed Hanoi for Indonesia aboard a flight scheduled to leave at 8:40 a.m. The team is expected to arrive in Jakarta at approximately 1:00 p.m. local time before continuing by bus to Bogor, where the match will be played.
With such a packed itinerary, Vietnam will have only one training session at the match venue on August 2 before taking on Indonesia at Pakansari Stadium. The highly anticipated Group A encounter is set to kick off at 8:30 p.m. local time on August 3.
The fixture carries enormous significance for the defending champions. Vietnam currently sit third in Group A with four points from two matches, following a 7-0 victory over Timor-Leste and a goalless draw with Singapore. Singapore lead the standings with seven points from three games, while Indonesia occupy second place with six points, having played one match fewer than the Lions.
Victory in Bogor would allow Vietnam to regain control of their own semifinal destiny before returning home to face Cambodia in their final group-stage match on August 7. Failure to defeat Indonesia, however, would leave Kim Sang-sik’s men needing to beat Cambodia while also relying on the outcome of the subsequent meeting between Singapore and Indonesia to determine their qualification hopes.
Following Vietnam’s frustrating 0-0 draw with Singapore at My Dinh National Stadium on July 31, Kim called on supporters to continue backing the team as they head into one of their biggest matches of the tournament.
“We’ll travel to Indonesia on August 1, and I hope our fans will continue to stand behind us and give us their support,” Kim said after the match. “We’ll do everything we can to deliver a better performance in the next game.”
With a place in the ASEAN Cup 2026 semifinals potentially hanging in the balance, Vietnam now face a challenging test against one of the tournament’s strongest contenders, with minimal preparation time before a must-win encounter in Indonesia.
VSN/RPT
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