The Vietnamese national women's football team celebrate beating Myanmar in the semi-finals. They are ready to face Thailand in the final on May 21. — VNA/VNS Photo Hoàng Linh

Thanh Nga

QUẢNG NINH — The Vietnamese national women's football team are ready to set a record of winning three SEA Games titles in a row.

On May 21, the team will face Thailand in the final of SEA Games 31. This is the sixth time in a row that Việt Nam has competed for the gold medal in women's football at the SEA Games with Thailand.

"Việt Nam team are looking forward to setting a record of three consecutive championships. To prepare for the final, we try to have the strongest force. Vietnamese players, despite their physical limitations, have ingenuity and agility. Hopefully, in the upcoming match, Việt Nam will continue to receive such great love from the fans," said head coach Mai Đức Chung.

The clash between Việt Nam and Thailand is expected to attract many fans as they are the top teams in the region.

Thailand didn't have good results against Việt Nam at the 2022 AFC Women's Asian Cup and lost the ticket to the 2023 Women's World Cup, so they are determined to reclaim the bragging rights in this match.

Coach Miyo Okamoto of the Thai team said that the SEA Games event was fierce with many strong teams. His team have failed many times in the previous tournaments, so the whole team will make every effort to take the gold medal at this year's Games.

Okamoto said: "So far, we have handled every match in the Games well to get to the final match. Thailand lost to Việt Nam for a place in the 2023 Women's World Cup, so we will do our best to win this game."

The final will take place at 7pm at Cẩm Phả Stadium in the northern province of Quảng Ninh. This is the fifth time the Vietnamese team has faced the Thai women at a SEA Games final.

Meanwhile, the match for the bronze between the Philippines and Myanmar will start at 3.30pm.

The two teams will play extra time if the final is tied in official time.

For the third-place match, if the result is a draw after 90 minutes, there will be a penalty shootout.

This format will help draw attention to the final match, between the two top teams in Southeast Asia. In the semi-finals, while the Thai team beat the Philippines 3-0, Việt Nam only beat Myanmar 1-0. However, this alone is not enough to fully evaluate the strength of the two teams. 

Fans wish VN women footballers luck ahead of Games final

The Vietnamese women's football team on May 18 beat Myanma 1-0 to earn a spot in the 31st SEA Games final against Thailand.

Many Southeast Asian fans, including fans from Myanmar, hailed the play of the Vietnamese.

"The Vietnamese women's team deserved to win," commented Thein Min Htwe.

Meanwhile, Thet Zaw Oo wrote: "This result pains me more than the breakup with my girlfriend. Anyway, best wishes from Myanmar to the Vietnamese women's team."

Denis Aung said: "A great game. Best wishes to the Vietnamese team in the championship game."

Jirayut Semerawut sent the Myanmar team some encouragement: "It's okay, Myanmar girls. There is still a chance for us to win the bronze medal."

Pyi Soe Aung praised the Vietnamese women's team and respected their performance.

"The Vietnamese team receives congratulations from Myanmar. You have earned a spot in the final," he said.

John Paul, a sports fan from the Philippines, wrote: "Congratulations to the Vietnamese women's team. From the Philippines, we send you our best wishes and good luck."

Following their milestone achievement, the Việt Nam Football Federation has pledged to reward the team with VNĐ800 million (US$34,519), Quảng Ninh Province's People's Committee also gave them VNĐ200 million in rewards. The Việt Nam Coal and Mineral Corporation offered VNĐ300 million for their efforts.

The total reward for the Vietnamese women's football team has so far reached VNĐ1.3 billion ($56,000).

Under the direction of head coach Mai Đức Chung, the Vietnamese team won the gold medal at the SEA Games 30, defeating Thailand 1-0. — VNS