Indonesian media compares Vietnam's U23 team to Coach Park's Changzhou squad.

(Dan Tri Newspaper) - CNN Indonesia believes that the current Vietnam U23 team is stronger than the 2018 squad that reached the final of the U23 Asian Championship in Changzhou (China).

The Vietnam U23 team is becoming the center of attention after securing a place in the semi-finals of the AFC U23 Asian Championship. Coach Kim Sang Sik's team has the opportunity to replicate the feat of reaching the final under Coach Park Hang Seo in 2018.

The Vietnam U23 team is showing formidable strength at the AFC U23 Asian Championship (Photo: AFC).

In an article yesterday (January 18), CNN Indonesia compared two generations of Vietnamese U23 players from two different periods. They rated the current generation of players under coach Kim Sang Sik higher than their predecessors.

An Indonesian newspaper commented: “At the 2018 AFC U23 Championship, the Vietnam U23 team reached the final. At that time, the Vietnam U23 team, with names like Nguyen Quang Hai, Nguyen Cong Phuong, Luong Xuan Truong, and Bui Tien Dung, was led by coach Park Hang Seo.”

Currently, under coach Kim Sang Sik, players like Nguyen Thai Son, Nguyen Dinh Bac, and Khuat Van Khang are striving to continue the legacy left by their predecessors eight years ago.

Although they haven't reached the final yet, the current generation of Vietnam U23 players boasts a more impressive record compared to the 2018 squad.

At that tournament, to reach the final, Coach Park Hang Seo's Vietnam U23 team had only one victory in 90 minutes (against Australia U23), along with two victories on penalties in the knockout rounds.

Vietnam U23 is just one step away from the final (Photo: Hanoi Police Club).

Meanwhile, under the guidance of coach Kim Sang Sik, the Vietnam U23 team achieved four consecutive victories. Three of those came from group stage matches, helping Vietnam U23 secure first place in Group A. In the quarter-finals, coach Kim Sang Sik's team defeated UAE U23 3-2 after 120 minutes.

The achievement of 4 wins at the 2026 AFC U23 Championship demonstrates the formidable strength of the Vietnam U23 team under coach Kim Sang Sik. Furthermore, statistics show that the Vietnam U23 team has won all 15 official matches when led by the South Korean coach.”

If Vietnam U23 wins against China U23 in the semi-finals, they will officially reach the historic milestone the team achieved in 2018. The match between Vietnam U23 and China U23 will take place at 10:30 PM on January 20th.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/bao-indonesia-so-sanh-u23-viet-nam-voi-lua-thuong-chau-cua-hlv-park-20260119002331795.htm