Coach Kim Sang Sik extends his remarkable record with Vietnamese football

Considering only official tournaments—where Coach Kim personally leads the team rather than delegating to assistants in friendly matches—Vietnam’s U22/U23 teams under his guidance have maintained a perfect winning streak. From the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Championship, the AFC U23 qualifiers, SEA Games 33, to the 2026 AFC U23 Championship finals, the Vietnamese youth teams have yet to suffer a single defeat.

The beginning of this remarkable run was the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Championship held in Indonesia. U23 Vietnam consecutively defeated Laos and Cambodia in the group stage, overcame the Philippines in the semifinals, and triumphed over host Indonesia 1-0 in the final to claim the title. Shortly after, at the AFC U23 qualifiers in Phu Tho, Coach Kim’s squad continued their flawless performance by beating Bangladesh, Singapore, and Yemen to secure their spot in the finals convincingly.

At SEA Games 33, Coach Kim Sang Sik further earned fans’ full confidence by leading U22 Vietnam to a gold medal with a perfect record. The team won against Laos and Malaysia in the group stage, defeated the Philippines in the semifinals, and edged Thailand 3-2 after extra time in a thrilling final.

Stepping onto the continental stage at the 2026 AFC U23 Championship finals, U23 Vietnam continued to show resilience. Two consecutive victories over U23 Jordan (2-0) and U23 Kyrgyzstan (2-1) not only put the team at the top of Group A but also marked a rare occasion where Vietnamese youth football won their first two group matches in an AFC U23 Championship.

Notably, the win against Kyrgyzstan broke a longstanding "curse" as U23 Vietnam had suffered multiple defeats against Central Asian teams in this tournament before. Under Coach Kim Sang Sik, those psychological barriers are gradually being removed through proactive, disciplined, and efficient play.

To date, Coach Kim Sang Sik has led U22/U23 Vietnam to 13 consecutive wins in official competitions, scoring a total of 25 goals while conceding only 6. This winning streak is the longest in the history of Vietnamese youth teams in official tournaments, surpassing the previous record of 8 consecutive wins set under coaches Nguyen Quoc Tuan and Park Hang Seo in 2019.

Importantly, Coach Kim Sang Sik’s winning streak is not only against regional Southeast Asian opponents but has also been sustained on the continental stage—where the level of skill, fitness, and tactics is significantly higher.