Coach Hoang Van Phuc: 'We are ready for SEA Games 29'

This morning (August 10, 2026), at a press conference ahead of SEA Games 29 in Malaysia, head coach of the Vietnam women's national team Hoang Van Phuc affirmed that the whole squad is ready for the journey to defend the gold medal won in 2026. His face relaxed when mentioning the final training session at Shah Alam Stadium. A small detail: when a reporter asked about the possibility of facing Thailand in the semifinal, he did not answer immediately. He looked down at his notebook, flipped through three pages, then looked up. 'We respect every opponent, but our immediate focus is the opening match against Myanmar.' Context: the Vietnam women's team had just completed a 10-day training camp in Shanghai, China, playing two friendlies against Shanghai Women's Club (a 1-0 win and a 1-1 draw). The team then moved to Kuala Lumpur to adapt to weather and pitch conditions. It was the first time the VFF arranged a long overseas training camp for the women's team before a SEA Games. The core insight: the 1-0 win over Shanghai Club does not say much about Vietnam's true level. The opponent was a club team, not a national side, so it cannot be directly compared with the pressure Thailand or Myanmar will bring. The final touch in the friendly on July 29 may have been clean, but it does not reflect how the team handles fear in a real semifinal. Contrarian view: the public expects Vietnam to repeat the 2026 miracle, but that very expectation is the heaviest burden. When everyone talks about defending the gold, psychological pressure weighs on young players' legs. The coach avoided mentioning the gold-medal target despite being asked directly three times. He only spoke about 'one match at a time.' That is not a lack of confidence — it is pressure management. The most notable signal from the press conference: when asked about Huynh Nhu's fitness, the coach smiled and said 'she is ready.' The answer was short, but it was the first official confirmation about the key striker since her knee injury in April. Bottom line: Vietnam enters SEA Games 29 as a contender, but the true champion will be the team that controls the fear inside the dressing room — where no camera is watching.