Thai fans: 'Vietnam is number one in Southeast Asia, however...'

U19 Vietnam gave up control of their own destiny after falling to U19 Indonesia, while numerous Thai fans continue to view Vietnamese football as the top in Southeast Asia, but they argue that this U19 squad seems cursed in this tournament.

Following a 1-2 loss to the host team U19 Indonesia in the final group stage match of Group A at the 2026 ASEAN U19 Championship, U19 Vietnam lost control of their own fate in the battle for a semifinal berth. At the same time, numerous Thai supporters posted remarkable remarks, recognizing Vietnamese football's power while also highlighting the shortcomings of their U19 teams.

Across Southeast Asian football forums, many Thai supporters have shared their opinions regarding Vietnamese youth football.

One individual stated: “Vietnam excels across all age groups, and the senior team remains the top in Southeast Asia. Nevertheless, their U19 side appears to be unlucky in this competition, having failed to claim the title for 19 years.”

Another supporter stressed: “U19 Vietnam has gone almost two decades without lifting the ASEAN U19 trophy, whereas Thailand is the most decorated side with five championships. There is a sense that this tournament does not favor them.”

In addition, some comments highly commended the youth development system of Vietnamese football. A supporter wrote: “Vietnam is powerful at all levels. I cannot comprehend why their U19 squad continually fails to win the title in recent years.”

Significantly, a Thai fan declared: “Every age bracket has its individual advantages, but on the whole, Vietnamese youth football remains the best in Southeast Asia currently.”

Although they competed with great effort, the squad led by coach Yutaka Ikeuchi ended up losing 1-2 in a game filled with contentious incidents. This outcome caused U19 Vietnam to finish the group stage as runners-up in their group with six points.

Nevertheless, under the competition's rules, the performance against the last-placed team is excluded when ranking the second-placed teams. Consequently, after discarding the result versus U19 Timor-Leste, U19 Vietnam stands at just 3 points with a +4 goal difference and must wait for beneficial results from Groups B and C to maintain their advancement hopes.

At present, U19 Vietnam still has an opportunity to make the semifinals. The red-clad side requires U19 Thailand and U19 Malaysia to produce a decisive result in Group B, and also hopes for other helpful results in Group C. If Thailand and Malaysia merely draw, the path forward for Coach Yutaka Ikeuchi's men might be blocked. Nonetheless, Vietnamese supporters can still look forward to a fortunate sequence that grants their team a berth among the four strongest in the tournament.