Vietnam U19 women's coach determined to "break the curse" to win the Southeast Asian championship

Vietnam U19 women's coach, Okiyama Masahiko, shared about the 2025 Southeast Asian U19 Women's Championship: "We set three goals for the tournament. First is to prepare well for the Asian U20 Women's Championship qualifiers in August. Second, try to win every match to aim for the championship.

And finally, because the tournament is held in Vietnam, I hope the fans will be able to celebrate the victory with the team. Besides, I hope this tournament will help Southeast Asian teams develop even stronger."

Before the opening match against Myanmar U19 women's team, the Japanese strategist said: "We don't have much information about Myanmar, the squad, the outstanding players... However, the important thing is to prepare ourselves well, ensuring the best condition. We will analyze directly during the match to come up with suitable plans and achieve good results."

Regarding the competition conditions in Ho Chi Minh City recently, it often rained right during the tournament's competition time. Coach Okiyama said that the team is used to this weather because they have been practicing here for a while, even in the rain.

Vietnam U19 women's team has reached the final of the tournament three times (2014, 2022 and 2023), but has yet to win the championship. With home field advantage this year, the team's number one goal is to win the championship.

Coach Okiyama affirmed: "I believe in the current generation of players - they have good professional quality, absorb the curriculum quickly, have modern thinking and the ability to progress clearly through each training session. This year is a good generation of players and can win the championship."

Coach Thet Thet Win, Myanmar U19 women's team - Vietnam's opponent in the opening match - said: We don't have much time to prepare, but the whole team is determined to solve each match one by one. We have made necessary adjustments and the goal is to achieve the best result. The match against Vietnam will be very difficult, they are the host and a strong team, but we will try our best.

Meanwhile, the two remaining opponents in Group A, U19 Laos and U19 Timor Leste, are both wary of both Myanmar and Vietnam and will also focus on each match.

Group B of the tournament includes Malaysia, Cambodia, Thailand and Indonesia. The two matches of Group A between Timor Leste and Laos, Vietnam and Myanmar will take place tomorrow (June 9), at 3:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. respectively at Thong Nhat Stadium (HCMC).