Huynh Nhu: 'Hope history repeats itself in Lach Tray'

Captain Huynh Nhu said the Vietnamese women's team aims to recreate the 2003 AFF Cup championship when returning to Lach Tray Stadium after more than 20 years.

Huynh Nhu wants to recreate history on Lach Tray field. Photo: Khuat Tu .

“We will turn pressure into motivation. In 2003, the Vietnamese women's team won the championship at Lach Tray, that will be the motivation for the whole team to try to make history once again,” captain Huynh Nhu told the media ahead of the opening match of the 2025 AFF Women's Cup.

On the afternoon of August 5, the press conference before the start of Group B of the 2025 AFF Women's Cup took place in Hai Phong . For the first time in many years, the Vietnamese women's team returned to Lach Tray Stadium to compete in this playground. This brought a great mental advantage to coach Mai Duc Chung and his team.

“Playing at home with the support of Hai Phong and the whole country is a great source of encouragement. I hope the fans will come to the stadium to cheer on the team,” coach Mai Duc Chung shared.

With home advantage and a stable squad, the Vietnamese women's team is considered a strong candidate for the top spot and the championship. Coach Mai Duc Chung emphasized the importance of the 2025 AFF Women's Cup, considering it an opportunity to compete in preparation for the SEA Games at the end of the year.

“We appreciate all the teams in the group, especially Thailand and Indonesia, because they have all made positive changes. The Vietnamese women's team needs to focus on each match and not be subjective,” he said.

Coach Mai Duc Chung hopes that the AFF Cup will be a good stepping stone for the Vietnamese women's team towards the SEA Games. Photo: Khuat Tu .

Meanwhile, the Thai women's team entered the tournament with a young squad, mainly aged 17 to 19. Coach Futoshi Ikeda said it was a disadvantage that the tournament was not part of FIFA Days, but he believed in the young players.

“We came here with the goal of getting through the group stage and further winning the championship. The tournament is also an opportunity to develop the next generation of players,” said Mr. Ikeda.

On the Indonesian side, coach Joko Susilo highly appreciated the facilities in Hai Phong and said that the team is aiming for good performances in each match. Despite difficulties in personnel, with some key players absent, the team from the archipelago still showed determination to win.

When asked about the naturalization policy, Mr. Susilo said that the Indonesian women's team currently has three naturalized players, including Isah, Nova and Estellah. However, he does not feel pressured but considers this a resource that needs to be gradually developed in the future.

On the other hand, Cambodia admitted that this is a very difficult group. Coach Gyotoku Koji - who took over the team less than two weeks ago - said that their goal is to get points and improve their performance with each match. "Vietnam is a strong opponent. We will play our best to have the best performance," he said.

The 2025 AFF Women's Cup Group B will officially kick off on August 6 at Lach Tray Stadium. The Vietnamese women's team will play their opening match against Cambodia, before facing Indonesia and Thailand.

Source: https://znews.vn/huynh-nhu-hy-vong-lich-su-lap-lai-o-lach-tray-post1574444.html