Southeast Asian Media: 'Kim Sang Sik is the last legacy in...'

Seasia Goal has addressed the presence of Korean coaches who have served in Southeast Asian national teams, featuring Vietnam’s head coach Kim Sang Sik.

Recently, the Laos Football Federation officially announced the termination of the contract with coach Ha Hyeok Jun. This means that currently, there is only one Korean strategist remaining at the national team level in Southeast Asia, none other than Vietnam’s head coach Kim Sang Sik.

Seasia Goal highlighted the decreasing number of Korean coaches working with Southeast Asian national teams, while expressing admiration for Kim Sang Sik, who is regarded as "Korea’s legacy in Southeast Asian football."

The article stated: "KIM SANG-SIK: THE LAST ONE

One after another, Korean coaches have left Southeast Asian national teams. Most recently, Ha Hyeok Jun parted ways with Laos. Previously, Shin Tae Yong left Indonesia, and Kim Pan Gon resigned from Malaysia.

At present… only one remains. Kim Sang Sik, the head coach of both Vietnam’s senior and U23 national teams, is the last Korean coach leading a Southeast Asian national team.

Kim Sang Sik is the final Korean legacy remaining in Southeast Asian football. The question is, how long will this last?"

Among the three previously mentioned names who departed, Shin Tae Yong left the strongest impression. Born in 1959, he became Indonesia’s head coach in January 2020 and achieved early successes. However, the most significant achievements came later.

He helped Indonesia’s U23 team reach the round of 16 in the 2023 Asian Cup and the semifinals of the 2024 U23 Asian Championship. Furthermore, the senior team defeated Vietnam consecutively to qualify for the third round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. Nevertheless, disappointing results in the 2024 AFF Cup and conflicts with the Indonesian Football Federation’s leadership led to his dismissal in early 2025.

Similarly starting out like his compatriot, coach Kim Sang Sik did not make a strong impression initially with Vietnam’s national team. However, success came quickly for the 1976-born strategist when he led his team to win the 2024 AFF Cup just seven months after taking charge.

Moreover, coach Kim had a remarkable 2025 with Vietnamese football. He and his U23 squad won the Southeast Asian U23 Championship for the third consecutive time in 2025, then continued to showcase their talent with the gold medal at the 33rd SEA Games held in Thailand.

With nearly two years of accomplishments in Vietnam, Kim Sang Sik deserves a prominent place among the top strategists in Southeast Asia, alongside his predecessor Park Hang Seo, who established one of the most successful eras for Vietnamese football (2017-2023).

Looking ahead, coach Kim Sang Sik will focus fully on the 2026 U23 Asian Championship campaign with Vietnam’s U23 team. In the group stage, U23 Vietnam will start their journey against U23 Jordan on January 6, then face U23 Kyrgyzstan on January 9, before concluding with a match against the host U23 Saudi Arabia on January 12.