The 20 member squad and the coaching board are ready for the most important tournament of the year.
The team finished their last two training sessions on August 12 at the Thong Nhat and Phu Tho Stadiums in Ho Chi Minh City, during which coach Mai Duc Chung focused solely on tactical issues.
Earlier, Chung and his players returned from a 10-day training course in Mimasaka city, Japan. The team played three friendlies against local clubs, drawing 2-2 with Yunogo Belle women's club, losing 0-2 to Okayama women's football club and trouncing the women's football team of Kibi Okayama International University 6-0.
"In the past training, the coaching board focused on improving the players’ physical strength and also interweaved tactical exercises to improve the team's coordination. The friendly matches in Japan were also very useful and necessary for the team, especially for the younger players, because they had the opportunity to learn and enhance their international experience to progress in the future," coach Mai Duc Chung shared on the 10-day training in Japan.
At Asiad 18, the Vietnamese women's team are in the tough Group C with Japan and Thailand. To be in the same group as such strong opponents will limit the chance for Vietnam to compete for a ticket to the knockout stage. Coach Mai Duc Chung said his hope is to earn one of the two best third-placed teams in order to qualify.
Women’s football will be the first event of Asiad 18 in Palembang, with the first matches in the three groups to take place on August 16. Eleven nations and territories are registered to compete at the event and are divided into three groups. Group A contains the Republic of Korea, Chinese Taipei, hosts Indonesia, and the Maldives, while Group B gathers the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, China, Hong Kong (China) and Tajikistan. Vietnam are in Group C with Thailand and Japan.
The Vietnamese women's team will play their opening match against their Thai rivals on August 19 and the Japanese team two days later.
