Vietnamese Football receives Four Certificates of Merit from the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism
The Minister of Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Vietnam has issued Decision No. 354/QĐ-BVHTTDL on awarding Certificates of Merit to four teams and 23 individuals selected as the Outstanding National Teams, Coaches and Athletes of 2025. Vietnamese football is honored to receive four Certificates of Merit from the Minister, including the Vietnam U22 National Football Team, head coach Kim Sang-sik, head coach Mai Duc Chung, and player Nguyen Dinh Bac.
16/03/2026 09:10:14
According to the results announced by the Vietnam Sports Administration on 31 December 2025, in the category of Outstanding National Team, the Vietnam U22 National Football Team ranked first with 1,660 points. This achievement came after a particularly successful year in 2025, when the team won the 2025 AFF U-23 Championship, recorded a perfect run in the qualifiers for the 2026 AFC U-23 Asian Cup Qualification, and secured the gold medal in men’s football at the 2025 Southeast Asian Games. These impressive results not only affirmed the team’s strength and competitive spirit but also reflected the effectiveness of Vietnam’s youth football training, coaching and development investment in recent years.
In the Outstanding Coach category, football continued to dominate with two representatives on the list. Leading the voting was head coach Kim Sang-sik with 532 points, leaving a strong mark during a successful year with Vietnam’s national teams. Meanwhile, the head coach of the Vietnam women’s national football team, Mai Duc Chung, was also honored among the top five outstanding coaches nationwide, further affirming his role, reputation and long-standing contributions to the development and sustained success of Vietnamese women’s football at both regional and continental levels.
In the Outstanding Athlete category, striker Nguyen Dinh Bac finished third overall with 693 points. The year 2025 marked a major step forward in his career as he helped Vietnam U23 National Football Team win the 2025 AFF U-23 Championship and the gold medal at the 2025 Southeast Asian Games, while also contributing to Cong An Ha Noi FC winning the Vietnam National Cup and the Vietnam National Super Cup. These achievements earned Đình Bắc the titles of Vietnam Silver Ball 2025 and Vietnam Best Young Male Player 2025.
