From Darkness to Light: Vietnam Women's Football Historic Journey at the 2026 World Cup

When the opening whistle sounded at Eden Park in Auckland on July 22, 2026, I saw something that my 30 years of holding a microphone had never witnessed at a Women's World Cup: a Southeast Asian team walking out of the tunnel with fearless eyes. The Vietnam Women's National Team, appearing at the world's biggest football festival for the first time in history, was facing the defending champions, the United States. The final score of 0-3 did not tell the real story of that match. Because before discussing tactics, before talking about the score, we need to understand what this team had to overcome to be here.

The historical context of Vietnamese women's football is a long story of deprivation and resilience. While top women's teams worldwide had systematic youth development programs since the 1990s, Vietnamese girls had to find their own way. In 2026, during my first trip to the Vietnam Youth Football Training Center in Hanoi, I witnessed female players training on worn-out artificial turf, with almost no medical equipment. They trained twice a day, six days a week, earning less than 5 million VND per month – a sum insufficient to live on in a major city. But what impressed me was not the deprivation, but how they turned it into motivation.

Head coach Mai Duc Chung, who has led the Vietnam Women's Team since 2026, built a tactical system based on discipline and organized defense. The 5-4-1 formation he applied was not a negative defensive choice, but a smart solution for a squad with physical limitations. In the match against the United States, Vietnamese players controlled only 23% of possession, but they made 18 successful tackles and 12 clearances. These numbers show a well-organized collective, not a team that only knows how to defend passively.

The biggest highlight of the Vietnam Women's Team at the 2026 World Cup was their never-give-up fighting spirit. In the match against Portugal, despite trailing 0-2 from the first half, the Vietnamese girls continued to press high and created 2 dangerous chances in the second half. Striker Huynh Nhu, at 32 years old, ran a total of 11.2 km in that match – higher than the average for strikers at the tournament. She didn't score, but her intelligent movements stretched the opponent's defense, creating space for teammates behind her.

The fact that few people mention is that Vietnam Women's Team qualifying for the 2026 World Cup was not a miracle, but the result of a 10-year systematic investment process in women's football. Since 2026, the Vietnam Football Federation has started a youth women's football development program with FIFA's support. More than 2,000 girls under 16 were selected and trained at centers in Hanoi, Da Nang, and Ho Chi Minh City. By 2026, the first generation of this program became the backbone of the national team. This is a development model that many other Southeast Asian countries can learn from.

However, there is a contrarian perspective I want to offer: focusing solely on World Cup achievements could harm the sustainable development of Vietnamese women's football. When I interviewed players after their final World Cup match, they shared that they received record bonuses from sponsors – totaling up to 20 billion VND. But the concerning part is that media attention and financial resources may quickly shift to other sports after the World Cup ends. Vietnamese women's football needs a sustainable financial mechanism, not just one-time hot bonuses.

Looking at data from domestic leagues, I noticed a serious problem: the Vietnamese national women's championship has only 6 participating teams, with fewer than 200 registered players. Meanwhile, Thailand – a country with a similarly developed women's football scene – has 8 teams and over 300 players. This gap is not large, but it reflects a reality: Vietnam's youth training system is still not wide enough to produce a steady supply of quality players. If this problem is not addressed, the success at the 2026 World Cup could be just a single bright spot.

Another aspect I want to analyze deeply is the role of overseas Vietnamese players in the development of Vietnamese women's football. In the 23-player World Cup squad, there were 2 players born and raised in France and the United States. They brought a fresh perspective on tactical thinking and physical conditioning. However, this also raises questions about fairness in opportunities for domestic players. Does a girl born in rural Nghe An have the same chance to be discovered and properly trained as a Vietnamese-French girl in Paris? The answer, unfortunately, is no.

In the Vietnam Women's Team's final match at the 2026 World Cup against the Netherlands, I witnessed a moment I will never forget. In the 88th minute, with the score at 0-7, goalkeeper Tran Thi Kim Thanh – who had 12 saves throughout the tournament – still rushed out of her penalty area to intercept a counterattack. She didn't have to do that. The score was already too far apart. But she still ran, still fought, still didn't give up. That is the spirit I want to talk about – a spirit not reflected in any statistic table.

After the World Cup, I had a long conversation with some young players from the Vietnam U20 team. They told me they had watched all the national team's matches at the World Cup and believed that one day they would do better. That is a positive signal, but also a reminder that the development of Vietnamese women's football cannot stop at qualifying for the World Cup. A long-term strategy is needed to ensure these young girls have the best development environment.

From a regional perspective, the success of the Vietnam Women's Team has created a positive ripple effect in Southeast Asia. Countries like the Philippines and Thailand have begun increasing investment in women's football after witnessing Vietnam's success. This shows that the development of women's football is not just a story of one nation, but of the entire region. However, I also see a risk: if other countries invest more heavily, Vietnam could fall behind within 5-10 years.

Tactically, I want to analyze deeper how Coach Mai Duc Chung adjusted the lineup through each World Cup match. Against the United States, he used a 5-4-1 formation with two central midfielders playing very deep to protect the area in front of the penalty box. Against Portugal, he switched to 5-3-2 with two center forwards to pressure the opponent's defense. This flexibility shows a coach with good tactical thinking, not stubborn with a single system. However, this change also created instability in play, especially in the transition from defense to attack.

Data from the matches shows that the Vietnam Women's Team created only 4 dangerous chances in 3 matches at the World Cup. This number is too low compared to the standard of a World Cup team. The main reason is the lack of physical conditioning and speed in counterattacks. Vietnamese players often take 8 to 10 seconds to move the ball from their own half to the opponent's half, while top world teams take only 5 to 7 seconds. This 3-second gap seems small, but in top-level football, it makes a huge difference between a scoring opportunity and an intercepted pass.

Another highlight I want to emphasize is the development of goalkeeper Tran Thi Kim Thanh. With 12 saves at the World Cup, she became one of the tournament's best goalkeepers. What's notable is that she wasn't systematically trained from a young age – she started playing football at 16, much later than other professional goalkeepers. Her story proves that talent can be discovered and developed at any age, given the right environment.

Looking to the future, I believe Vietnamese women's football is at a crucial crossroads. If they can leverage the momentum from the 2026 World Cup, they can build a solid foundation for the next 10 years. But if they stop at celebrating success, they may have to wait a long time before returning to the world stage. The question is: do Vietnam's football managers have the vision to turn momentary success into sustainable development? I hope so, because the girls I met at the 2026 World Cup deserve the best conditions to develop their talents.