The 2026 ASEAN Cup Golden Boot Race: A Big Opportunity for Dinh Bac

In the opening match against Timor Leste, Nguyen Dinh Bac scored a hat-trick. Although he did not score in the two matches against Singapore and Indonesia, the striker, who plays for Cong An Ha Noi, continued to shine with a brace, helping Vietnam defeat Cambodia 3-1 in the final group stage match.

With 5 goals and 1 assist, Dinh Bac has a total of 6 G/A (goal contributions, i.e., goals + assists), and he also leads in this category.

In the ASEAN Cup 2026 scoring list, behind Dinh Bac is Win Naing Tun (Myanmar) with 4 goals. However, after Myanmar were eliminated in the group stage following a loss to Thailand, Win Naing Tun has no chance to compete for this year's Golden Boot. Another striker with 4 goals, Baker (Indonesia), has also been eliminated.

Before the semi-finals, the only players chasing Dinh Bac in the scoring list are Ilhan Fandi Ahmad (Singapore) with 3 goals and Paulo Josue (Malaysia) also with 3 goals. Both are 2 goals behind Dinh Bac. For Vietnam, Nguyen Xuan Son and Do Hoang Hen are among the players with 2 goals.

The chance to win this prestigious individual title is heavily tilted towards Dinh Bac as the tournament situation gives him a huge advantage. With Vietnam having secured a place in the semi-finals, the Cong An Ha Noi striker still has at least two matches ahead to increase his goal tally.

It has been a long time since Vietnamese fans witnessed a domestic striker with such impressive form across different tournaments in one year. At the 2026 AFC U23 Asian Cup, Dinh Bac was the Golden Boot winner (4 goals). In the previous V-League season, he shined with 10 goals in 23 matches, and now he leads the scoring list at the 2026 ASEAN Cup.

According to the schedule, Vietnam will play the first leg of the ASEAN Cup 2026 semi-final away on August 16, before returning to their home ground at My Dinh for the second leg on August 19. This will be a key opportunity for Dinh Bac to continue shining, helping his team reach the pinnacle while also solidifying his leading position in the Golden Boot race.

In the two most recent tournament victories, Vietnam had a player who won the Golden Boot. That was Quang Hai with 8 goals in 2018, followed by Xuan Son with 7 goals in 2024.

The record for most goals in a single ASEAN Cup tournament belongs to Le Huynh Duc, with 8 goals in the 2002 ASEAN Cup. The veteran striker of Cong An TP Ho Chi Minh shared the Golden Boot that year with Bambang Pamungkas (Indonesia). The second highest scoring Vietnamese player in a single ASEAN Cup is Nguyen Xuan Son (7 goals) at the 2024 ASEAN Cup. Third place belongs to Tien Linh (6 goals) at the 2022 ASEAN Cup, where he shared the Golden Boot with Teerasil Dangda (Thailand).