Phuc attended a pre-tournament press conference in Japan on September 12, where he discussed the team’s preparations and said his players were in good shape ahead of their opening match.

“We trained for three weeks in Vietnam before spending 10 days in China, where we played two friendlies,” Phuc said.

During the China training camp, Vietnam faced Jiangsu Women’s Football Club and the Chinese national team.

Those matches, along with three earlier friendlies in Hanoi, gave Phuc and his coaching staff opportunities to assess the squad, fine-tune tactics and give the players more match experience before the Asian Games.

Vietnam lost 3-0 to China, but Phuc said the players learned valuable lessons from facing one of Asia’s strongest teams.

He said such matches had helped put his players in good condition for the tournament.

The squad are healthy and ready to compete, according to the coach.

After settling in Japan, Vietnam held their first training session at 4 p.m. on September 12, focusing on adapting to local playing conditions and completing their final preparations.

The 2026 Asian Games women’s football tournament begins on September 14, with 12 teams divided into three groups.

Vietnam are in Group E alongside hosts Japan, Chinese Taipei and Thailand. The top two teams from each group and the two best third-placed sides will advance to the quarter-finals.

Vietnam open their campaign against Chinese Taipei at Shizuoka Stadium Ecopa on September 14.

They will then face hosts Japan on September 17 before meeting Southeast Asian rivals Thailand on September 21.

Dai Nam