The Vietnamese women's team is expected to undergo a spectacular transformation at the 33rd SEA Games.

The Vietnamese women's national team is regaining its form.

Although the bronze medal at the 2025 AFF Cup did not fully meet initial expectations, it provided an opportunity for coach Mai Duc Chung and his team to frankly assess their strengths and weaknesses in order to make appropriate adjustments for the journey ahead, most notably the goal of defending their SEA Games title.

Đội tuyển nữ Việt Nam được kỳ vọng sẽ 'lột xác' ngoạn mục ở SEA Games 33- Ảnh 1. — The Vietnamese women's team is determined to win the SEA Games 33 championship.

Although the 1-2 defeat against the Australian women's team revealed limitations in physique, fitness, and the fact that the key players over 30 years old currently playing for the Vietnamese women's national team have reached their peak, there are still objective factors that need to be discussed.

The Vietnamese women's national team did not compete in any official tournaments throughout 2024 and the first half of 2025, due to the absence of international competitions during that period. Coach Mai Duc Chung's players only played at the club level (averaging 12 to 15 matches per year) and in friendly matches during national team training camps. Prior to the 2025 AFF Cup, the Vietnamese women's team only gained match practice with three matches in the 2026 Asian Cup qualifiers, all against very weak opponents. Therefore, facing a strong team like Australia, with most of their players having trained year-round in the Australian national league, it's understandable that the Vietnamese women's team would be exhausted.

At the same time, due to the lack of official competitions to test their skills for over a year, coach Mai Duc Chung has mainly relied on his core players, with familiar faces that offer no novelty in their playing style or opportunities to improve their physical fitness and fighting spirit. Nevertheless, at the SEA Games 33, the picture for the Vietnamese women's team will be brighter, as the "diamond girls" will have all the necessary advantages: favorable circumstances, home advantage, and strong team spirit.

First, the Vietnamese women's team will have three months to play in the national championship (from September to November), with a minimum of 12 club-level matches. This is a crucial factor in helping Huynh Nhu and her teammates regain their match fitness, physical condition, and peak performance. Continuous training and competition will help the players focus and be in a higher state of readiness compared to the period before the AFF Cup, when coach Mai Duc Chung had to focus on improving the players' fitness because they hadn't played for a long time.

Also from the national championship, coach Mai Duc Chung will look for new talents to upgrade the national team. Coach Chung affirmed that he has a plan for rejuvenation and will carefully select players to make the Vietnamese women's national team stronger in the upcoming training camp.

A RIGHT OPPONENT

The Vietnamese women's national team lost to Australia in the semi-finals of the 2025 AFF Cup. Despite fielding a U23 team, Australia was still very strong. Remember, the Oceania representative reached the semi-finals of the 2023 World Cup, only to be eliminated by England. A young team of World Cup caliber is clearly on a much different level than the Southeast Asian (or even Asian) level. Therefore, the loss to Australia is not a step backward for the Vietnamese women's team, although the players' limitations were revealed and need to be addressed.

At the SEA Games, the Vietnamese women's team no longer faces Australia. Huynh Nhu and her teammates now only have Thailand, the Philippines, and Myanmar to contend with. These are all opponents that the Vietnamese women's team is capable of defeating.

After a period of rejuvenation, the Thai women's national team has gradually lost its standing. Over the past 10 years, Thai women's teams have either drawn or lost against Vietnam, most recently suffering a double defeat (0-1, 1-3) in the 2025 AFF Cup. Myanmar has also improved, but is still not at a level where they can defeat the Vietnamese women's team. Most notably, the Philippines, however, "The Azkals" have yet to find stability due to constant squad changes and inherent psychological instability.

At the 33rd SEA Games, the Vietnamese women's team remains the top contender for the championship. The team will assemble in November before heading to Thailand for the tournament. With thorough preparation and the discovery of promising talents after a selection process, Coach Mai Duc Chung's team still has a strong chance of defending their Southeast Asian title.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/doi-tuyen-nu-viet-nam-duoc-ky-vong-se-lot-xac-ngoan-muc-o-sea-games-33-185250821220340508.htm