Vietnam Women's National Team Beats Jiangsu Women's Club 1-0: Positive Signals for ASIAD 2026 But Work Remains

Vietnam's women's national football team secured a 1-0 victory against Jiangsu women's club during their training camp in China, opening positive signals for their ASIAD 2026 preparation journey. However, tactical analysis reveals that Head Coach Hoàng Văn Phúc's team still faces numerous challenges before the official tournament. On the afternoon of September 5, 2026, Vietnam's women's national team played their second friendly match during the China training camp, facing Jiangsu Women's Club - one of China's top women's football clubs. The final result was a narrow 1-0 victory with the sole goal scored by Hải Yến in the 14th minute. This victory not only brought three points but also established an important psychological foundation for the red-shirted girls ahead of ASIAD 2026. According to the coaching staff's observations, Vietnam's women's team deployed a tightly organized defensive strategy from the very first minutes. The team maintained reasonable formation distance, positioned their defensive line deep, and waited for opportunities from transition situations. This was the tactical approach that Head Coach Hoàng Văn Phúc had built throughout the training camp, and it proved effective against an opponent rated higher in terms of financial investment and training infrastructure. Hoàng Văn Phúc stated in the post-match interview: "We kept the starting lineup stable for the first 60 minutes to evaluate tactical operation capabilities. After that, we made 10 substitutions between the 61st and 87th minute to test the bench players' abilities. The result showed the team maintained stability in play style despite many personnel changes." The sole goal of the match came in the 14th minute when Hải Yến capitalized on a set-piece or quick transition opportunity. Although Vietnam's women's team did not control possession as much as their opponents, they converted their chance into a goal - the most important thing in football. The first half was balanced with attacks from both sides, but Hoàng Văn Phúc's team held their lead until the end of the match. Notably, in the second half, Vietnam's women's team made up to 10 substitutions. Players like Ngọc Minh Chuyên, Hoàng Loan, and many other young faces were given opportunities to play in the crucial phase of the match. This indicates the coaching staff is still in the process of evaluating personnel and has not yet determined the official lineup for the upcoming tournament. Despite the many changes, the team maintained defensive solidity and prevented the opponent from scoring an equalizer. Jiangsu Women's Club's head coach Miguel Santos provided objective comments on Vietnam's women's team performance. He highly appreciated their defensive organization and effectiveness in transition situations from defense to attack. However, the Chinese coach also pointed out that Hoàng Văn Phúc's team needs to continue improving attack organization, especially in ball control, passing, and creating space for attacking players. "Vietnam's women's team demonstrated very disciplined and organized play. They know how to defend tightly and transition very quickly. However, to go further in major tournaments, they need to develop more ball control ability and create more scoring opportunities from possession-based play," Miguel Santos assessed. The victory against Jiangsu Women's Club is considered a positive signal for Vietnam's women's team ASIAD 2026 preparation journey. However, this was only the second match in the training camp series. The next match will be a confrontation with China's women's national team on September 9 - a completely different challenge compared to facing a club team. China's women's national team is ranked among the top of Asian women's football, with a squad featuring players with extensive international competition experience. Their performance against this opponent will be a more accurate measure of Vietnam's women's team true capabilities. If the team can maintain defensive organization as they did against Jiangsu Club, it will be a positive sign for their competitive ambitions at ASIAD 2026. Tactically, Vietnam's women's team is showing a trend of building play based on a solid defensive foundation. This is an appropriate direction for Vietnam's current women's football strength, given that financial resources and training infrastructure still have many limitations compared to leading regional countries. Rather than trying to compete with stronger opponents through possession-based play, focusing on defense and quick transitions is a more realistic choice. However, in-depth analysis shows Vietnam's women's team still faces several major challenges. First is attack organization - what Miguel Santos himself pointed out. In the match against Jiangsu Club, the team only scored one goal from a specific opportunity. If opponents don't make mistakes or leave gaps, Vietnam's women's team may struggle to find goals. Second, making 10 substitutions in the second half shows the coaching staff still hasn't determined the official lineup. This is normal during preparation, but also raises questions about team stability. An established official lineup will help players better understand their roles and responsibilities, thereby improving coordination in tactical situations. Third, the match against Jiangsu Women's Club took place in a context where the opponent may not have been at their best preparation stage. Clubs typically have different training and competition cycles than national teams. If Jiangsu Club was in early pre-season or focusing on other objectives, their intensity and focus may not have been at the highest level. This could enhance the value of the victory but also raises questions about the result's representativeness. In reality, Vietnam's women's football has made significant progress in recent years. The national women's team has risen to second place at AFF Women's Championship and become one of Southeast Asia's strongest teams. However, to compete at the Asian level, the team needs to improve in many different aspects. Regarding youth development, the women's player development system is still in the building phase. Compared to countries like Japan, South Korea, or Australia, where women's football has been professionalized for a long time, Vietnam still has much work to do. However, positive signals from this training camp show Vietnam's women's team is moving in the right direction in the development process. Head Coach Hoàng Văn Phúc has demonstrated clear tactical vision in building play for Vietnam's women's team. He doesn't try to impose complex play requiring excellent individual technique; instead, he focuses on basic but effective elements: organized defense, maintaining formation distance, and quick transitions. This philosophy is appropriate for current strength and can bring good results in the short term. Additionally, creating opportunities for many young players to play in friendly matches shows the coaching staff is aiming to build a deep squad. This is an important strategy for a longer tournament like ASIAD, where having sufficient quality personnel to rotate is a key factor. Young players like Ngọc Minh Chuyên and Hoàng Loan are gaining valuable international competition experience - extremely precious for their long-term development. The upcoming match against China's women's national team on September 9 will be a real test for Vietnam's women's team. This opponent is significantly higher level than Jiangsu Club, with players who have competed in many major tournaments worldwide. If Vietnam's women's team can maintain defensive organization and create some meaningful attacking opportunities, it will be a very positive signal for ASIAD 2026. In the long term, the victory against Jiangsu Women's Club further consolidates confidence for Vietnam's women's team players and coaching staff. Vietnam's women's team has proven they can compete with better-resourced opponents through discipline and organization. This is an important foundation for building future success. However, this result must be viewed objectively. One friendly victory cannot completely change the assessment of a team's capabilities. Vietnam's women's team still has much work to do before they can confidently enter an official tournament. Attack organization, ball control ability, and lineup stability are issues that need to be addressed in the coming time. Furthermore, comparing Vietnam's women's football with regional countries shows we are still in the development stage. Japan remains Asia's strongest team with perfect possession-based play. Australia has superior physical strength and stature. South Korea and China have professional training systems. To compete with these teams, Vietnam's women's football needs a long-term development strategy and more systematic investment. In the current context, the training camp in China is bringing positive values to Vietnam's women's team. Players are competing under real pressure, exposure to different play styles, and learning from stronger opponents. These are valuable experiences that cannot be obtained in training sessions in Vietnam. Head Coach Hoàng Văn Phúc and the coaching staff are working in the right direction by focusing on basic but effective elements. Rather than trying to imitate the play of top teams, Vietnam's women's team is building their own identity based on discipline, organization, and fighting spirit. This is the foundation for future development. Concluding the training camp in China, Vietnam's women's team will have important evaluations in terms of personnel and tactics. Players who perform well in friendly matches will have opportunities to be included in the official squad, while those who don't meet requirements will need to improve or redirect their development. This process requires objectivity and decisiveness from the coaching staff. Overall, the 1-0 victory against Jiangsu Women's Club is a good start for the friendly series in China. However, this is only the first step in the ASIAD 2026 preparation journey. Vietnam's women's team needs to continue efforts, improve the weaknesses pointed out, and maintain focus in upcoming matches. Only then will the victory against Jiangsu Club truly become a positive signal for the future. The match against China's women's national team on September 9 will be the final measure for this training camp. The result of that match will determine whether Vietnam's women's team is on the right track or needs to adjust strategy. Whatever the result, what matters is that the team has gained valuable lessons from this trip - lessons that will shape the upcoming journey at ASIAD 2026 and beyond.