"Kim Sang-sik's brilliance!" Red flags flood Vietnam as it beats Thailand to win back-to-back titles at the 'Southeast Asian World Cup' [Southeast Asia Close-Up]

【Hanoi, Vietnam = Kim Joon-seok, correspondent】On the 26th, after Kim Sang-sik's Vietnam national football team defeated Thailand to claim a second consecutive ASEAN Cup title, Hanoi and other major Vietnamese cities instantly turned into scenes of celebration.
In the second leg of the 2026 ASEAN Hyundai Cup final, held that day at My Dinh National Stadium in Hanoi, Vietnam drew 2-2 with Thailand. After winning the first leg 2-0 in Thailand on the 22nd, Vietnam finished with a 4-2 aggregate victory and lifted the trophy.
As the final whistle blew, Hanoi's streets were covered in a sea of red and the Flag of Vietnam. Citizens in red shirts and waving Vietnamese flags poured into the streets on motorcycles, while horns and car honks echoed everywhere. As people filled the roads to celebrate the national team's victory, Hanoi remained awake for some time that night.
Tuan, a man in his 30s whom we met at the scene, asked the reporter whether he had come from Korea and kept shouting, "Kim Sang-sik is great! Kim Sang-sik is great!" Trang, a female college student in her 20s, said, "I don't usually know much about football, but I always watch the national team's matches," adding, "I'm so moved."
With this victory, Vietnam claimed its fourth ASEAN Cup title overall. After winning in 2008, 2018, and 2024, it added another title this year and became the first team in the tournament's 30-year history to win back-to-back championships. Korean coaches have continued to lead a golden era for Vietnamese football, with Park Hang-seo guiding the team to the title in 2018 and Kim Sang-sik doing so in 2024 and again this year.
Held every two years, the ASEAN Cup is the tournament that crowns Southeast Asia's top football team. It is also a major regional sports event, often described as the "World Cup of Southeast Asia," because national pride is on the line. Starting this year, Hyundai Motor Company joined as the official title sponsor, drawing attention to the growing ties between Korean companies and ASEAN football.
Vietnam and Thailand are longtime rivals that symbolize ASEAN football. The two sides met in the final for the third straight edition, following 2022 and 2024. Vietnam prevailed again this time, winning 4-2 on aggregate, which only intensified the rivalry between the two countries.
ASEAN football also features a number of rivalries rooted in history and geography. The clash between Malaysia and Indonesia is known as the "Indonesia–Malaysia football rivalry." Matches between Malaysia and Singapore are called the "Causeway Derby," named after the Johor–Singapore Causeway that links the two countries. The rivalry draws even more attention because it is tied to Singapore's separation from the Malaysian federation in 1965.
Another point of interest in this title run was the changing makeup of Vietnam's national team. From Brazil-born attackers to a European-descended goalkeeper, naturalized and mixed-race players have significantly altered the team's identity.
Brazil-born naturalized players formed the core of the attack. Striker Nguyen Xuan Son, whose original name is Rafaelson Bezerra Fernandes and who became a Vietnamese citizen first in September 2024, emerged as Vietnam's reliable finisher in this tournament. In particular, in the second leg of the semifinal against Malaysia, he scored two goals on his own within 30 minutes of coming off the bench, sending the team to the final.
Do Hoang Hen, whose original name is Hêndrio Araújo da Silva and who was naturalized in October 2025, helped spark the attack with creative passes from the second line. Nguyen Thai Loc, a versatile forward who recently joined the national team, also combined up front, and Vietnam was praised for adding Brazil-style individual skill and rhythm to its offense.
Changes were also visible at the back. Goalkeeper Le Giang Patrick, a mixed-race player of Slovak descent who acquired Vietnamese citizenship, secured the starting role with European fundamentals and sharp reflexes. After helping Vietnam beat Myanmar 4-0 in the final warm-up match before the tournament, he continued to make steady saves in the main event. In the two-legged final against Thailand, he produced a series of crucial super saves under heavy pressure, helping secure the title.[Southeast Asia Close-Up] is a section that delivers vivid, in-depth on-the-ground coverage of major issues and behind-the-scenes stories from Southeast Asia, which has emerged as a key hub for global supply chains as well as diplomacy and security.[email protected] Kim Joon-seok Reporter