The Vietnam national team returns to the venue where they lost to Indonesia in the ASEAN Cup a decade ago.

A decade ago, Vietnam lost to Indonesia at Pakansari Stadium in the same tournament (ASEAN Cup/AFF Cup). That memory provides confidence for the Indonesian side as they prepare to face Vietnam on August 3.

Vietnam will face Indonesia at Pakansari Stadium at 8:30 PM on August 3 in Group A of the 2026 ASEAN Cup. This match is decisive for both teams' pursuit of the group lead and a spot in the semifinals.

Pakansari, with a capacity of 30,000 spectators, is regarded as one of Southeast Asia's "cauldrons." The stands are close to the pitch, and the fervor of tens of thousands of Indonesian fans always creates immense pressure on visiting teams. Therefore, this away trip is expected to be a significant challenge for coach Kim Sang Sik.

Mentioning Pakansari, Vietnamese fans cannot forget the first leg of the AFF Cup 2016 semifinal. At that time, Vietnam, under coach Nguyễn Hữu Thắng, lost 1-2 to Indonesia. The hosts opened the scoring through Hansamu Yama in the 7th minute, before Nguyễn Văn Quyết equalized from the penalty spot in the 17th minute after Công Vinh was fouled.

In the second half, Boaz Solossa scored the decisive goal from the penalty spot following Quế Ngọc Hải's foul on Stefano Lilipaly. In the return leg at Mỹ Đình, Vietnam drew 2-2 (losing 3-4 on aggregate) after 120 minutes against Indonesia, ending their run in the semifinals.

The RM newspaper in Indonesia recently recalled the match at Pakansari a decade ago: "Pakansari Stadium also holds fond memories for Indonesia. Here, Indonesia beat Vietnam 2-1 in the first leg of the 2016 AFF Cup semifinal, thanks to goals from Hansamu Yama and Boaz Solossa. This result paved the way for Indonesia to reach the final after a 2-2 draw in Hanoi in the second leg."

However, the newspaper acknowledged that John Herdman's Indonesia still needs improvement: "Nevertheless, when facing Vietnam in the ASEAN Cup, Indonesia still has plenty of work to do. In 13 meetings in this tournament, each side has won only three times, with seven matches ending in draws."

"The worrying thing is that Indonesia has failed to score against Vietnam in the AFF Cup (ASEAN Cup) since the 2016 semifinal. In the last four encounters in the tournament, Indonesia has recorded two goalless draws, followed by a 0-2 loss in the 2022 AFF Cup semifinal and a 0-1 defeat in the 2024 AFF Cup group stage," the Indonesian newspaper wrote.

The RM emphasized: "That means the match at Pakansari Stadium is a golden opportunity for John Herdman's players to end this unwanted streak and take a step closer to the semifinal ticket."