Vietnam’s under-23 team, coached by South Korea’s Kim Sang-sik, advanced to the semifinals of the Asian Football Confederation(AFC) U-23 Asian Cup with a victory over the United Arab Emirates(UAE).

Vietnam secured a three-two victory after extra time in its quarterfinal match against the UAE on Saturday at Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Sports City Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

It is the first time in eight years that Vietnam advanced to the semifinals after finishing in second place in the 2018 tournament at the helm of South Korean head coach Park Hang-seo.

Since Kim took charge of both the senior and under-23 national teams in 2024, Vietnam has enjoyed a strong run, winning the ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup in January 2025, the ASEAN U-23 Championship in July,and the Southeast Asian Games title in December.

In the semifinals, Vietnam is set to face the winner of the quarterfinal match between China and Uzbekistan on Wednesday.