Thai fans admire Vietnam's U.23 team, with Dinh Bac and coach Kim receiving special mention.

Thai fans continue to shower praise on the Vietnamese U23 team after coach Kim Sang-sik's side secured a place in the quarterfinals of the 2026 AFC U23 Championship as group A winners.

In the final match of Group A, held on the evening of January 12th, Vietnam U23 defeated Saudi Arabia U23 1-0. This result gave Vietnam U23 a perfect 9 points after 3 matches for the first time, leading the group. Notably, this marks the third consecutive time the young Vietnamese players have reached the quarterfinals of the U23 Asian Championship. More broadly, Vietnam U23 has advanced beyond the group stage four times – the best record among Southeast Asian representatives.

On many websites, Thai fans continuously praised the performance of the Vietnamese U23 team. The Thai website Khod Sanam stated: “The Vietnamese U23 team reached the quarterfinals with an unbeatable record, winning all three matches perfectly. They didn't need to show off but still convincingly topped the group.”

Vietnam U23 has reached the quarter-finals of the AFC U23 Asian Championship for the fourth time.

PHOTO: SCREENSHOT FROM AFC FACEBOOK

Coach Kim Sang-sik and Dinh Bac receive praise.

Buriram Prankster v2 - a page for Thai fans to discuss football, with nearly 200,000 followers, commented: “Vietnam U23 shocks Asia, continues to show dominance in the AU23 group. Vietnam defeated host Saudi Arabia U23 1-0 in the final match, thereby securing 9 points after three matches and advancing to the knockout round as group winners.”

“Thai fans must surely acknowledge this: Vietnam U23's performance at the 2026 Asian Championship has proven they deserve the reputation of being the strongest youth football team in Southeast Asia at the moment. Vietnam U23's achievements have far surpassed Thailand's, having won the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Championship, the SEA Games 33 gold medal, and topped their group at the U23 Asian Championship. These achievements are certainly not due to luck. They are the result of thorough preparation and a solid foundation,” Buriram Prankster v2 emphasized.

The Jordan U23 team went to the Vietnam U23 team's hotel to celebrate, and coach Kim smiled shyly.

Meanwhile, Ball Thai, with over 1.5 million followers, commented: “Under the guidance of coach Kim Sang-sik, the Vietnam U23 team is becoming increasingly formidable. They have a sound strategy, play disciplined and intelligently to win all three matches, becoming the first Southeast Asian team to reach the quarterfinals of the 2026 AFC U23 Championship. The Vietnam U23 team is truly strong, having reached the quarterfinals for the third consecutive time.”

Thai newspapers also specifically mentioned Dinh Bac - the player who scored the winning goal in the match against U23 Saudi Arabia, helping U23 Vietnam secure 3 points: “Nguyen Dinh Bac’s outstanding performance contributed greatly to U23 Vietnam reaching the quarterfinals. The 21-year-old star from Hanoi Police FC is also a member who shone brightly, helping U23 Vietnam win the gold medal in men’s football at the 2025 SEA Games in Thailand.”

Ball Thai analyzed: “Nguyen Dinh Bac's statistics in the match against U.23 Saudi Arabia were truly impressive: playing 45 minutes (coming on as a substitute in the second half), scoring 1 goal, taking 1 shot, completing 17/21 passes (81% success rate), having 27 touches, 2 touches in the opponent's half, completing 3/5 passes in the final third (60%), winning 1/6 aerial duels (17%), committing 3 fouls, and receiving 1 yellow card.”

Dinh Bac received special attention for his continued outstanding performance, helping Vietnam U23 secure 3 points.

PHOTO: FACEBOOK AFC

The Baball Buriram website also praised Dinh Bac: "The number 7 player of the Vietnam U23 team is truly talented!! Although Thailand and Vietnam are fierce rivals in regional football, objectively speaking, Dinh Bac is really good, that must be acknowledged. This is not only judged by today's performance, but also by what we have seen since the SEA Games, where he led the Vietnam U23 team to win the gold medal. If we were to describe him, we would use three factors: intelligence, incredible speed, and excellent finishing ability.”

Thanhnien.vn

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/cdv-thai-lan-than-phuc-u23-viet-nam-dinh-bac-cung-hlv-kim-duoc-nhac-dac-biet-185260113124100083.htm