After losing to Vietnam, Thailand sets an unfortunate record in 2025

The Vietnamese women's team just overcame Thailand in the AFC U20 Women's qualifiers, further prolonging Vietnam's strong streak against Thailand across multiple disciplines.

On the evening of August 19, the Vietnamese women's national team concluded the 2025 Southeast Asian Women's Football Championship with a 3-1 victory over Thailand in the third-place playoff. This was not only a fitting farewell for coach Mai Duc Chung and his squad but also another win in Vietnam's ongoing streak against Thailand in several popular sports.

The rematch was tense. In the first half, the home team struggled to break through Thailand's solid defense. It wasn't until the 42nd minute that Pham Hai Yen broke the deadlock with the opening goal. In the second half, Huynh Nhu doubled the lead before Bich Thuy finished decisively to make it 3-0. Thailand's late efforts only earned them a consolation goal in the 87th minute. In the end, Vietnam won 3-1 and took bronze, while Thailand remained empty-handed.

Earlier in the group stage, Thu Thao scored the only goal to help Vietnam edge past Thailand 1-0. Suffering two consecutive defeats in the same tournament has deepened the disappointment for Thai fans.

In reality, this marked the eighth consecutive loss for Thailand against Vietnam in just over half a year, spanning several sports. Since early 2025, Thailand's men's football team fell to Vietnam in the ASEAN Cup with an aggregate score of 3-5. In July, Vietnam's men's volleyball team added to the misery with two straight wins in both stages of the SEA V.League.

Less than a month later, the Vietnamese women's volleyball team made history by defeating the Thai women's squad—long considered near world-class—for the first time in the second stage of the SEA V.League.

Moreover, Vietnam's sepak takraw teams also made headlines by defeating Thailand in both the men's and women's four-player events at the World Championship at the end of July. This series of victories has made Thailand's losing streak to Vietnam more comprehensive than ever before.

Once regarded as the "kings" and "queens" of the region in ball sports, Thailand now finds itself in a puzzling decline. Disappointment is widespread across sports forums. One fan exclaimed: “It’s unbelievable. We keep losing to Vietnam, not only in football but also in volleyball.” Another commenter was even more critical: “Even though they are different sports, both football and volleyball are hugely popular. Thailand’s sports leaders need to seriously reflect after this painful losing streak.”

Although Thailand still maintains its status in Olympic sports such as athletics, weightlifting, boxing, and taekwondo, the downturn in ball sports—which attract massive public attention—has become a hard-to-heal wound. For Thai fans, repeatedly falling to Vietnam in their favorite sports is a shock that's difficult to accept.

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