Vietnam ethnic minority women’s football tournament stuns international media

The inaugural 2026 Vietnam Ethnic Minority Women's Football Tournament, or VTV Cup, brought together 12 teams from nine localities.

International media stunned

French newspaper Le Petit Journal highlighted the unprecedented national tournament as an event celebrating amateur players as well as the ethnic minority cultures.

Citing Thuon, captain of the Dak Doa team from Gia Lai Province, Le Petit Journal described her as a typical example of a woman emerging from grassroots football.

In Vietnam's Central Highlands, her everyday life revolves around driving a truck transporting agricultural produce and working the fields.

However, in Lao Cai, she wore the captain's armband and represented her locality in a tournament broadcast on national television.

Stories like hers were what made the tournament so distinctive.

The players were not professional athletes, but they brought to the pitch a competitive spirit, a passion for football, and stories from the communities where they live.

ASEAN Football also expressed amazement at the appeal of the 2026 Vietnam Ethnic Minority Women's Football Tournament final.

An incredible atmosphere surrounded the final between Dak Doa and Lao Cai’s Luc Yen team at the inaugural Vietnam Ethnic Minority Women's Football Tournament - VTV Cup 2026, the outlet reported.

Although it was a grassroots tournament, at least 15,000 spectators packed the stadium to cheer on the players as they competed in traditional skirts showcasing their ethnic identities.

After a week of spirited and joyful exchanges, the final of the tournament took place on Saturday, with hosts Luc Yen ultimately claiming victory.

Fashion steals show as tournament deemed ‘more exciting than the Premier League’

The tournament has gone viral on social media, with some viewers saying it was ‘even more entertaining than the English Premier League.’

With the 12 teams from nine localities stretching from the northern mountainous region to north-central Vietnam and the Central Highlands, the tournament created a remarkable meeting point, not only for sport but also for culture.

Female players from different ethnic minority communities and subcultures converged in one place, bringing with them their love of football and the cultural signatures of their homelands.

Among them were mothers of two or even three children.

Particularly striking was the players' football fashion.

Inspired by their traditional ethnic attire, the outfits were redesigned to allow freedom of movement while retaining their distinctive patterns, materials, and cultural characteristics.

On the pitch, the players' outfits became the literal embodiment of their teams' identities.

Every sprint and challenge was more than an attempt to create a scoring opportunity; it was also a showcase of the cultural beauty of each community before audiences across the country.

Images of women comfortably sprinting and striking the ball in ethnic skirts challenged perceptions that traditional clothing is restrictive, while also confronting assumptions about women's limitations in sport.

More than just sport

Among the many players travelling to Lao Cai for the tournament were two special participants: mother Theo and daughter Giang.

They came from the Dak Doa team in Gia Lai, one of the two sides to reach the final.

They told VTV.vn that it was the first time they had travelled such a long distance together.

For 16-year-old Giang, having her mother alongside her on the journey was something wonderful.

For Theo, the joy came from becoming an inspiration to her daughter.

She recalled that when her daughter was young, she had little interest in dolls.

Instead, she would accompany her mother to the market and point excitedly at footballs and players' clothing.

When she was in fifth grade, at the age of 10, she was already accompanying her mother to collect balls.

The story of Theo and Giang, together with the 12 teams made up entirely of ethnic minority women, once again demonstrates that football truly is a sport for everyone.

It has the power to break down barriers of gender, generation, and geography.

Football is not merely a sport reserved for men, but one for everyone who loves it and feels they belong to it.

The sight of female players moving freely and confidently on the pitch in the diverse traditional attire of their communities is both beautiful and deeply symbolic.

Football gives them the freedom to shape their own interests and identities.