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Screen capture from the ASEAN Championship Hyundai Cup homepage

The Vietnam national football team, led by coach Kim Sang-sik, extended its unbeaten run in A-matches to 21 games.

Vietnam thrashed host Indonesia 3-0 on the 3rd (local time) in the third round of Group A play at the 2026 ASEAN Championship Hyundai Cup, held at Pakansari Stadium in Cibinong, Indonesia.

The result extended Vietnam's unbeaten streak to a national-record 21 matches (18 wins, 3 draws). Their last defeat came in a 1-2 friendly loss to Thailand in September 2024. Having failed to advance in the second round of Asian qualifying for the 2026 North/Central America World Cup, Vietnam has not faced any of Asia's so-called top-seeded teams over the past two years. While the unbeaten run has largely come against weaker opposition, the team has clearly cemented its status as a regional power. The world record for consecutive unbeaten A-matches is 38, held by Spain, this year's North/Central America World Cup champions — so Vietnam still has a long way to go. Vietnam has been drawn into the same group as South Korea at next January's Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia.

The win moved Vietnam past Indonesia to the top of Group A. Having thrashed Timor-Leste 7-0 in their opener, Vietnam played to a scoreless draw with Singapore in their second match before beating Indonesia, giving them 2 wins and 1 draw, 7 points, and a goal difference of +10 — ahead of Singapore (also 7 points, goal difference of +3) on goal difference.

ESPN praised coach Kim's decisions in the match. Kim left captain Nguyen Quang Hai and top scorer Rafaelson out of the starting lineup, bringing them on in the second half to seal the win. Rafaelson coolly slotted home a one-on-one chance against the goalkeeper to complete the 3-0 victory.

Indonesia, chasing a third straight win at home, was tripped up by Vietnam and now sits third in the group with 2 wins, 1 loss, 6 points, and a goal difference of +4, facing an uncertain path to advancing. Indonesia had earlier beaten Cambodia 5-1 and Timor-Leste 3-0, riding momentum that seemed poised to end Vietnam's winning streak. In the 10-team tournament, teams are split into two groups of five for the group stage, with the top two from each group advancing to a cross-group knockout stage to determine the finalists. Held every two years among Southeast Asian nations, the competition has previously been known as the Suzuki Cup and the Mitsubishi Cup, and was renamed the Hyundai Cup after Hyundai became the tournament's sponsor for its 30th anniversary.

Vietnam, the defending champion chasing a fourth title, will play its final group match against Cambodia on the 7th. Indonesia will face Singapore.

                                                                                                           Lee Jang-won