Returning to the stadium where they once won the AFF Cup, coach Mai Duc Chung is very confident that Vietnam will defeat Indonesia.

Indonesia has made changes with 6 new players, but the feeling of winning the AFF Cup remains intact with coach Mai Duc Chung.

Coach Mai Duc Chung and the key players of the Vietnamese women's national team entered the TNSU stadium on the afternoon of December 12th, a day after their resounding victory against Myanmar, with mixed emotions. He said he still vividly remembers the five consecutive wins of the Vietnamese women's national team at this stadium, scoring 24 goals and conceding only one, to win the AFF Cup in 2019. At that time, under his leadership, the Vietnamese girls dominated, winning convincingly against Cambodia, Indonesia, and Myanmar, defeating the Philippines in the semi-finals and beating host nation Thailand in the final.

Trở lại sân từng vô địch AFF Cup, HLV Mai Đức Chung rất tin Việt Nam sẽ thắng Indonesia- Ảnh 1. — Huỳnh Như was overwhelmed with emotion on the pitch where her goal in the 2019 AFF Cup final went down in history.

Trở lại sân từng vô địch AFF Cup, HLV Mai Đức Chung rất tin Việt Nam sẽ thắng Indonesia- Ảnh 2. — Huynh Nhu recalls fond memories at this stadium.

The TNSU stadium, where the women's national team once triumphed, will once again welcome coach Mai Duc Chung, Bich Thuy, Hai Yen, Kim Thanh, Huynh Nhu, Thai Thi Thao... to play the first semi-final match of the SEA Games 33 against Indonesia at 4 PM on December 14th.

Mr. Chung said: "I was very emotional stepping onto this pitch. After 6 years, the pitch quality is still good, the grass is very soft, suitable for the Vietnamese women's team to showcase their technical skills. Stepping onto this pitch brings back all my memories, every match from the AFF Cup 6 years ago comes flooding back. I remember having to make immediate adjustments in extra time in the final when Huynh Nhu received a second yellow card after getting too excited about her goal. The 5 wins here are truly a beautiful memory, and I hope to have another spectacular match against Indonesia."

Trở lại sân từng vô địch AFF Cup, HLV Mai Đức Chung rất tin Việt Nam sẽ thắng Indonesia- Ảnh 3. — Coach Mai Duc Chung and his assistants inspect the quality of the pitch.

Assessing the opponent, coach Mai Duc Chung said: "In the 2019 and 2025 AFF Cups, we both beat Indonesia 7-0. But the Indonesian team is very different now. They missed the last two SEA Games to revamp themselves. And this time they have also changed compared to the recent AFF Cup in Hai Phong, with up to 6 new and naturalized players. They have a goalkeeper and 1-2 central defenders who are Dutch. This means their strength has been significantly increased with players who have good stature and physical ability. I watched videos of their matches against Thailand and Singapore. The more they play, the more they improve, with improved physical fitness and tactical skills."

Trở lại sân từng vô địch AFF Cup, HLV Mai Đức Chung rất tin Việt Nam sẽ thắng Indonesia- Ảnh 4. — The women's team visited the semi-final match venue on the afternoon of December 12th.

So what solutions are there to counter Indonesia's long ball tactics, given that their naturalized players know how to utilize them? Coach Mai Duc Chung commented: "The loss to the Philippines has shown us many things we need to be cautious about. I have great respect for Indonesia because they may play a lot of long balls and take advantage of their ability to handle aerial balls. Therefore, we will build a tight strategy, not leaving any space for them to exploit. Of course, the Vietnamese team will not be complacent and will focus all their efforts, building on what they achieved against Myanmar."