Coach Mai Duc Chung: 'Vietnam's opponents are naturalizing players en masse'

Head coach of the Vietnamese women's team, Mai Duc Chung, admitted difficulties ahead of the 2025 Southeast Asian Women's Championship, where opponents have not only improved but also upgraded their squads.

Coach Mai Duc Chung instructs his students before the training session of the Vietnamese women's team on the afternoon of July 18 - Photo: NGOC LE

"The 2025 Southeast Asian Women's Championship is more difficult than the recent 2026 Asian Women's Championship qualifiers. The opponents of the Vietnamese women's team have been naturalized en masse, such as Thailand, Cambodia, and Indonesia, who have almost completely naturalized their teams," coach Mai Duc Chung told the media on the afternoon of July 18.

Mr. Chung added: "Playing against teams like that requires good physical strength. We will improve our physical strength, endurance and muscles through a training trip in Quang Ninh from July 20."

In the second training session of the year, the Vietnamese women's team practiced in Hanoi from July 13. To have a good physical foundation, in recent days, coach Mai Duc Chung's students have been practicing on the field from 3:40 p.m. every day, under the 32-degree Celsius temperature (feels like 36 degrees Celsius) of the capital Hanoi .

"Despite the hot and humid weather, the players still showed a commendable training spirit. The young players who have been called up to the national team have also made rapid progress. I also told them not to be shy or afraid of being scolded by their seniors. The coaching staff and the whole team are ready to let them play in the starting lineup if they improve and reach high performance," said coach Mai Duc Chung.

Mr. Chung said that he had just sent Nguyen Thi Tuyet Ngan (appendectomy) back to her family. At the same time, he revealed the good news that player Nguyen Thi Thanh Nha can return to practice with the team this week after a period of injury and having to practice separately.

In Group A of the 2025 Southeast Asian Women's Championship, the Vietnamese women's team will compete with Cambodia, Indonesia and Thailand on August 6, 9 and 12, respectively, all at Lach Tray Stadium, Hai Phong. The top two teams will advance to the semi-finals.

Huynh Nhu failed to score any goals after 3 qualifying matches for the 2026 Asian Women's Championship - Photo: NGOC LE

Huynh Nhu: 'I'm getting older'

At the age of over 33, striker Huynh Nhu said she is trying to maintain her physical strength to contribute to the Vietnamese women's team.

"For me, the most important thing in each tournament is the success of the team. In the recent Asian Women's Championship qualifiers, I was unlucky and didn't score any goals, but in return my teammates scored goals, which is a good thing.

Now that I am getting older, I need to take better care of my health. I usually go to bed very early, much earlier than when I was younger. I also eat more carefully and do not drink alcohol.

I also trained according to the coaching staff's reasonable training plan, thanks to which I was able to meet the standards," Huynh Nhu said.

NGOC LE

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/hlv-mai-duc-chung-cac-doi-thu-cua-viet-nam-nhap-tich-ao-at-20250718165827855.htm