SEOUL - South Korean head coach Kim Sang-sik has led Vietnam to their second straight title at the top Southeast Asian men's football tournament.
Vietnam defeated Thailand 4-2 on aggregate in the two-legged final of the ASEAN Hyundai Cup that wrapped up late Wednesday in Hanoi.
Vietnam won the opening leg 2-0 in Bangkok on Saturday, before the two countries played to a 2-2 draw in the Vietnamese capital Wednesday.
This was the 16th edition of the biennial tournament, and the first with the South Korean automaker Hyundai Motor as the title sponsor.
The title was Vietnam's fourth overall, and their third under a South Korean head coach -- with Park Hang-seo in charge in 2018 and with Kim in 2024 and 2026.
Kim, who also coaches Vietnam's under-23 national team, led the country to the ASEAN U-23 Championship title and the Southeast Asian Games gold medal in 2025.
Vietnam's senior team has now gone undefeated in a country-record 26 matches, with 22 victories and four draws.
In Wednesday's match, Vietnam gave up the first goal in the 12th minute but dodged a bullet in the 48th minute when Kakana Khamyok missed a penalty for Thailand.
An own goal by Thailand leveled the score at 1-1 in the 52nd minute, but then Wanchai Jarunongkran put Thailand up 2-1 in the 85th minute.
Thailand needed another goal to pull even in the aggregate score but Wanchai ended up putting one into his own net during stoppage time to hand Vietnam their second straight title.
