Looking back at the highly successful year 2025 for Vietnamese football

The year 2025 – A hallmark of success for Vietnam’s national football teams.

The year 2025 is recognized as a remarkable year of achievement for Vietnamese football at both regional and continental levels. Under the strategic guidance and focused investment of the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF), Vietnamese football reached a significant milestone with seven national and youth teams qualifying for the Asian Championship finals during the 2025-2026 period.

This historic accomplishment clearly demonstrates the right direction in developing internal strength, improving youth training quality, and establishing a sustainable development roadmap for the national team system.

Men’s National Team: Stabilizing the squad and aiming for a new development cycle

In 2025, the Men’s National Team started the year by winning the 2024 ASEAN Cup Gold Medal with an unbeaten run of 8 matches, convincingly defeating Thailand in both home and away finals. Lifting the championship trophy on foreign soil marked a historic milestone for Vietnamese football.

Following the ASEAN Cup, the team had five training camps and participated in FIFA Days in March, June, September, October, and November, competing in the final round of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers. The team secured victories against Laos (5-0, 2-0), Nepal (3-1, 1-0), but suffered a 0-4 loss to Malaysia. This defeat impacted their chances of qualifying for the finals amid a generational transition, injuries to key players, and inconsistent form after the 2024 Southeast Asian championship. Nevertheless, 2025 is seen as a pivotal year laying the groundwork for restructuring the men’s national team and preparing for the next development cycle.

Women’s National Team: Active and future-oriented

The Women’s National Team had three main training phases in 2025 to prepare for the 2026 Women’s Asian Cup qualifiers, the Southeast Asian Women’s Championship, and the 33rd SEA Games, including an important training camp in Japan. As a result, the team qualified for the 2026 Women’s Asian Cup finals with a perfect record in qualifiers, earned the bronze medal at the 2025 Southeast Asian Women’s Championship, and showed clear progress in preparations for SEA Games 33.

At SEA Games 33, the women’s team played with effort, courage, and determination throughout the tournament. Although they couldn’t defend their title, the results further affirmed the status, competitive spirit, and professional image of Vietnamese women’s football amid rising regional standards.

Men’s U22/U23 National Team: A cornerstone of youth football success

The Men’s U22/U23 national team remained a key focus of the VFF’s investment in 2025. The team went through seven training camps, international friendlies including high-level tournaments in China against top Asian teams like U23 South Korea, Uzbekistan, and the host China. They won the U23 Southeast Asian Championship for the third consecutive time in 2025, firmly confirming their top regional position. Subsequently, the team flawlessly achieved their goal in the 2026 U23 Asian qualifiers by winning all matches and securing a place in the finals.

At SEA Games 33 in Thailand, the U22 Vietnam team left a strong impression with convincing performances that demonstrated maturity, fighting spirit, and technical growth. The men’s football final at SEA Games 33 provided valuable lessons for Vietnam’s national teams: with determination and perseverance, hope remains alive. The players’ resilience is commendable, as is the coaching staff’s effort, who made wise decisions even during the toughest moments.

This success vividly illustrates the effectiveness of the long-term, scientific, and in-depth preparation process that the VFF has consistently implemented.

National Futsal Teams: Gradually affirming their position

In 2025, Vietnamese futsal continued to receive systematic and planned investment. The men’s futsal team performed steadily in the 2026 Asian qualifiers, qualifying for the finals with a perfect record, while actively preparing for SEA Games 33. The women’s futsal team reached the quarterfinals of the 2025 Asian Women’s Futsal Championship, showing notable progress.

Notably, at SEA Games 33, the women’s futsal team brought great pride to fans by winning the Gold Medal for the first time in history. This milestone achievement confirms the strong advancement of Vietnamese women’s futsal on the regional stage and reflects the effectiveness of sustained, well-structured investment, team building, and professional quality improvement over recent years.

National Youth Teams: The foundation for sustainable future development

Youth training remains a pillar in the long-term development strategy of the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF). In 2025, the national youth teams achieved many positive results, demonstrating balanced development and depth in the talent pool.

In women’s football, the U19 team earned the silver medal at the 2025 Southeast Asian U19 Women’s Championship, while the U16 team secured bronze at the 2025 Southeast Asian U16 Women’s Championship. Additionally, both the U20 and U17 women’s teams successfully qualified for the 2026 Asian Championship finals.

In men’s football, the U17 Vietnam team also made a mark by qualifying for the 2026 U17 Asian finals with a perfect record in the qualifiers.

These results not only reflect the effectiveness of youth training but also confirm continuity and stability in the squad. Building a systematic, long-term youth training system is gradually creating a solid talent base, laying the foundation for the sustainable development of national teams in the future.