Vietnam Preview: The Golden Star Women Warriors focus on unity in Asian Cup

Vietnam booked their place in the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup (their 10th successive appearance) after topping their qualifying group.

During the qualifying rounds, they scored an impressive 17 goals in just three matches, conceding none. Their largest victory came against The Maldives, Vietnam running out 7-0 victors. 

In the last Women’s Asian Cup, Vietnam registered their best result in the tournament, reaching the Quarterfinals. They lost 3-1 to eventual champions, China. Vietnam will be targeting the knockout stages once again, with tough competition to overcome in the group stages.

An exciting group stage

Vietnam will begin their group stage by facing India on Wednesday the 4th of March, where they hope to start their campaign with a dominant and eye-catching performance. Three days later, on Saturday the 7th of March, they will play against Chinese Taipei.

Undoubtedly their toughest fixture on paper, Vietnam will face Japan in their final game of the group stage. Their opponents on Tuesday the 10th of March have won the Women’s Asian Cup twice and were victorious at the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup, alongside being crowned Champions of the SheBelieves Cup last spring.

Match schedule:

-       Wednesday 4 March – Vietnam v India (11:00 BST)

-       Saturday 7 March – Vietnam v Chinese Taipei (05:00 BST)

-       Tuesday 10 March – Vietnam v Japan (09:00 BST)

Words from Vietnam’s head coach

Vietnam’s coach, Mai Đức Chung said that the team’s preparations have gone according to plan. He also spoke about the team’s togetherness and praised their determination to progress in the competition:

“The upcoming Asian Cup will be very difficult, but with determination and unity we will do everything we can to achieve our target.”

One to watch

Huỳnh Như is definitely a player to watch during this tournament. She is Vietnam’s all-time top goalscorer and played a critical role in the country's qualification for their first FIFA Women’s World Cup (in 2023).

Regarding Vietnam’s aims for this tournament, the forward said:

“Our first objective is to get through the group stage, and then we will aim for a World Cup place.”

Despite being a less prominent nation of the global women’s footballing stage and the underdogs in this tournament, the Golden Star Women Warriors aim to surpass expectations and put themselves in a strong position to progress through the group stages.