Coach Hoang Van Phuc: 'Vietnam National Team Must Overcome Psychological Challenges'

Coach Hoang Van Phuc acknowledges that when playing the first leg away from home, the Vietnam national team needs to maintain maximum composure. Coach Kim Sang Sik's squad must overcome the opponent's psychological tactics and focus entirely on executing their game plan on the pitch.

* Sports & Culture: The 2026 ASEAN Cup semi-finals feature a full gathering of four past champions in the region's history: Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam. What are your observations on the overall landscape of Southeast Asian football at this point?

- Coach Hoang Van Phuc:It is evident that the highlight at the end of this year's group stage is the presence of the Singapore team. This can be described as a return to discipline and pragmatism. The current generation of the Singapore team does not boast many flashy individuals, but they compensate with an ironclad organizational discipline and order. Singapore has shown a deeply frustrating defensive style of sitting deep. They are willing to cede control, compress the spaces between lines, and punish opponents through set pieces or well-timed counterattacks.

Meanwhile, the Thailand team continues to demonstrate their class and composure. Thailand enters the semi-finals as Group B winners after four straight wins, scoring consistently and keeping a perfect clean sheet. The "War Elephants" still possess superior strength in ball control, smooth playing tempo, and the quality of the Thai League. The central midfield duo of veteran Sarach Yooyen and playmaker Worachit Kanitsribampen, along with Seksan Ratree and Pokkhao Anan, all have the ability to dictate the rhythm and dominate space, allowing Thailand to impose their style on any opponent.

Despite significant squad changes and lacking the massive naturalized presence of previous tournaments, Malaysia under the return of coach Tan Cheng Hoe has advanced to the semi-finals as runners-up in Group B. The core strength of the Malaysia team lies in their abundant physical fitness, high-intensity pressing, and effective use of aerial balls. Notably, the presence of Wan Kuzain, the midfield conductor with excellent regulation and precise through balls or crosses, stands out. Additionally, Pavithran Gunalan and Ezequiel Aguero are players who bring driving force and individual attacking ability, ensuring Malaysia maintains constant pressure on opposing defenses.

* It can be observed that the Vietnam team's form remains full of doubt and contrast: brilliant away from home but struggling and disjointed when returning to My Dinh. Why is that?

- Looking back at the four group stage matches, the contrast is evident in every movement and tempo of the Vietnamese players. Surprisingly, the two away matches were both outstanding. When playing away, the Vietnam team displayed elegance, flexibility, and sharpness in their combination play. Both counter-attacking and possession-based strategies during crucial periods were executed smoothly, helping Vietnam secure convincing full points.

Conversely, both home matches were far from perfect. After the draw with Singapore, Vietnamese fans hoped for an impressive performance against Cambodia before the away semi-final leg, but at My Dinh, Coach Kim Sang Sik's players were erratic and disjointed, exposing many gaps. The attacking rhythm was unnaturally broken, passes went astray, and most players seemed tense in this match.

We hope that the lessons accumulated from the group stage will help the Vietnam national team quickly adjust to present a solid and stable form for the decisive matches ahead.

* So what does the Vietnam national team need to improve before the away first leg of the semi-final?

- The valuable break period will likely be used by Coach Kim Sang Sik to "recharge" energy and inspiration for his players. The Vietnam team's defense will also be fine-tuned in its defensive approach, especially when playing the first leg away against a Malaysia team eager to "rewrite history".

The rest days are crucial for Coach Kim Sang Sik to correct identified errors and refine tactics and plans. Additionally, Coach Kim Sang Sik needs to nurture a few game-changers with enough composure, unpredictability, and a "cool" head to handle the pressure at My Dinh. There have been some suggestions, and Dinh Bac is the perfect candidate for that role. The young striker, currently leading the scoring charts of the 2026 ASEAN Cup, possesses an explosive style, fearlessness in contact, and the ability to create breakthroughs with daring dribbles.

* Before the 2026 ASEAN Cup semi-final, Coach Tan Cheng Hoe used psychological tactics to label Vietnam as the favorites, which forces Coach Kim Sang Sik's team to be extremely cautious?

- The semi-final between Vietnam and Malaysia is not merely a pure technical battle but also a calculated psychological chess game. Coach Tan Cheng Hoe's deliberate ceding of the "favorite" status to Coach Kim Sang Sik's men is seen as the opening move of a tactical mind game before the first leg encounter.

Of course, everyone wants to win and win impressively. On the long journey of a tournament, every coach certainly has their own calculations, including "smoke screens". But that was the group stage. The semi-finals or finals are a different matter. Although the ASEAN Cup uses a home-and-away format, each match is effectively a knockout, and a defeat, or even a draw, can erase all previous achievements. Hopefully, on the remaining journey of the title defense campaign, Coach Kim Sang Sik's team will give fans the joy of a complete victory after recharging their energy.

* Your thoughts on the personnel and playing style of the Vietnam national team in the first leg of the semi-final?

- For various reasons, the naturalized trio of Son-Hen-Loc rarely appeared together in all group stage matches, but they always forced opponents to assign multiple defenders to mark them. In the semi-finals and potentially the finals, these naturalized players will certainly be prioritized by Coach Kim Sang Sik to add power and variety to the attack.

Meanwhile, Dinh Bac, the top explosive scorer of the group stage with his speed, boldness, and diverse finishing ability, will also be a strong choice. In midfield, after outstanding group stage performances, Le Pham Thanh Long has been both a sweeper and a smooth "ball distributor" in the middle of the park, allowing Coach Kim Sang Sik to quickly switch from defense to attack.

* Thank you sincerely for the conversation!