Indonesian media goes wild as U23 Vietnam distances itself from Southeast Asian teams

The Indonesian media is united in highlighting the impressive progress of U23 Vietnam on the overall U23 Asian leaderboard, after the Red team concluded their journey at the 2026 U23 Asian Championship with commendable results.

According to Superball (Indonesia), U23 Vietnam continues to demonstrate rare consistency on the continental stage. As cited by Indonesian media: “U23 Vietnam has firmly established itself among the top 10 teams in the overall U23 Asian rankings since the tournament’s inception in 2013.” 

At the 2026 U23 Asian Championship finals, coach Kim Sang-sik’s squad finished third overall. Across 6 matches, U23 Vietnam suffered only one defeat, secured 4 wins, 1 draw, scored 10 goals, and conceded 8. This achievement propelled the young Vietnamese team to 9th place in the all-time rankings of teams that have participated in the U23 Asian Championship..

The article from Indonesia also particularly emphasized U23 Vietnam’s resilience across multiple tournaments: “To date, U23 Vietnam has appeared 6 times in the U23 Asian Championship finals, playing a total of 26 matches. The Red Shirts have accumulated 32 points, with 8 wins, 8 draws, and 10 losses.”

According to AFC’s statistical method, teams are ranked based on total points, goal difference, and goals scored. Each win earns 3 points, a draw 1 point, and a loss 0 points. Matches decided in extra time count as wins or losses, while those ending in penalty shootouts are considered draws. Notably, U23 Vietnam holds a 100% success rate in penalty shootouts at the tournament..

What particularly caught the Indonesian media’s attention is the growing point gap between U23 Vietnam and its regional rivals. Superball wrote: “Mathematically, U23 Vietnam’s total points still exceed the combined points of three Southeast Asian rivals: Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia.”

Specifically, although U23 Thailand improved their ranking after the 2026 tournament, they only reached 13th place with 15 points. In the recent finals, the Golden Dragons disappointed by finishing last in Group D with just 2 points. Meanwhile, U23 Indonesia maintained their 16th position despite not participating this year, holding 7 points from their sole appearance in 2024.

As for Malaysia, their team remains at 20th place with a mere 4 points from three U23 Asian Championship participations. Compared to these figures, U23 Vietnam’s 32 points represent a very large margin.