Southeast Asian fans praise Vietnam's 3-0 win over Indonesia, value homegrown talent at 2026 ASEAN Hyundai Cup

Beyond the players' performances and head coach Kim Sang Sik's tactical decisions, Vietnam's approach to building their national team has also impressed football observers across Southeast Asia following the emphatic win on Monday.

Although Kim had several naturalized forwards available, he started only one of them against Indonesia.

That player was Nguyen Tai Loc, also known as Geovane, while two regular starters, Nguyen Xuan Son, also known as Rafaelson, and Do Hoang Hen, also known as Hendrio, began on the bench.

By contrast, more than half of Indonesia's starting line-up consisted of players of Western descent who had acquired Indonesian nationality, including Klok, Haye, Jenner, Reijnders, and Baker.

The contrasting line-ups prompted comparisons among Southeast Asian football fans over the two countries' approaches to naturalized players.

Buriram Prankster, a Thai football fan page with more than 200,000 followers, lauded Vietnam's performance.

"Vietnam is really good! Deserves the number 1 in ASEAN."

The page also wrote, "The Vietnamese national team used 9 local players to defeat the Indonesian national team, which had a team full of Dutch players, 3-0."

It added, "Fans of Southeast Asian football must praise Vietnam for building a sustainable football system, focusing on local talent to build core strength."

The page also said, "Vietnam has 3 naturalized players from Brazil, but they help improve the quality of the team, not replace local players."

"It is not easy to defeat Indonesia in this new era, but Vietnam did it," the page concluded.

On Thailand's popular Pantip sports forum, one fan also highlighted Vietnam's limited use of naturalized players, noting that only one such player started for Vietnam and that the two players who scored the opening goals were local.

The fan said Vietnam did not rely on naturalized players.

Fans on the ASEAN Football fan page similarly applauded Kim's coaching ability and the quality of Vietnam's squad.

User Abdal praised the South Korean coach for leaving several Brazilian-born stars on the bench, wondering whether Indonesia were not strong enough or whether Kim simply believed his Vietnamese players were good enough for every match.

Another user said naturalization had become a common trend in football but argued that Vietnam's strength came from their strong pool of local players, which had helped the team remain powerful for many years.

Li Tao, a user from Singapore, also admired Vietnam's squad, saying the naturalized Brazilian players made the team stronger but that Vietnam remained a strong side even without them.

Before the match, Indonesian sports outlets including Sport Detik and Bola had identified Vietnam's 'Brazilian trio' of Xuan Son, Tai Loc, and Hoang Hen as the team's most formidable players.

However, comments posted during live coverage after the first half showed surprise at Kim's starting line-up, as Van Vi and Hai Long put Vietnam 2-0 ahead.

Xuan Son then came off the bench to score the third goal in the second half and seal Vietnam's 3-0 victory.

The contributions of Tai Loc, who started the match, Xuan Son, who scored the decisive third goal, and Vietnamese overseas goalkeeper Le Giang Patrik cannot be overlooked.

Still, Vietnam's brightest stars on the night were clearly their homegrown players.

Amid the region's growing naturalization trend, the emphatic victory over Indonesia highlighted the comprehensive and sustainable development of Vietnamese football, built on the strength of homegrown talent.

The victory has moved Vietnam to the top of Group A with seven points, level with Singapore but ahead on goal difference (+10 compared with Singapore's +3).

Indonesia and Cambodia rank third and fourth, respectively, with six and three points, while Timor-Leste sit at the bottom with zero points.

In the final round of Group A matches, hosts Vietnam will face Cambodia on Friday, while Indonesia will take on Singapore in a crucial encounter that could determine the remaining semifinal berth.

Thailand and Malaysia are leading Group B, which also includes Myanmar, the Philippines, and Laos.

The ASEAN Hyundai Cup 2026 is Southeast Asia's premier men's international football tournament, organized by the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF).

Formerly known as the AFF Championship and later the ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup, the competition is sponsored by Hyundai for the 2026 edition.