VietNamNet Bridge – Viet Nam will have a tough start to the Asian Games (ASIAD) following the draw on Thursday.

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Viet Nam, in group B, will be up against Iran, Bahrain and Turkmenistan.

"We are clearly not in the same league as these three teams. Furthermore, we know very little about them," said Phan Thanh Hung, a Vietnamese assistant coach.

Iran won the silver medal at the last ASIAD; Bahrain are one of the strongest teams in Asia, ranked 75 in the world; while Turkmenistan have played Viet Nam five times, winning four and losing one.

However, Hung said Viet Nam were still in with a chance of making it through to the knock out stages. Viet Nam earlier this month defeated Iran 2-0 in a friendly in HCM City. They also beat Turkmenistan last year – the last time the two teams have met.

"We have made remarkable progress recently. I think our young players will surprise people here," said Tran Quoc Tuan, Viet Nam Football Federation's general secretary. "Viet Nam have always been lucky when playing teams from west Asia."

"I am really impressed with the players who played at the HCM City City event. The triumph was well deserved," said former U-23 team coach Nguyen Thanh Vinh.

"I myself think group B will not be as tough for Viet Nam as most people imagine. Our rivals are strong physically but we have a dynamic and flexible playing style. We are still in with a very good chance," Vinh said.

Coach Nguyen Van Sy is also confident Viet Nam will be victorious if they play to form.

The tournament is divided into six groups of four teams. The two top teams from each group and the four best ranked third-placed teams will advance to the main round.

At the last ASIAD, Viet Nam, then coached by Austrian Alfred Riedl, finished third in their group with one win and two losses.

The team has a friendly international tournament in Thailand on October 27-31.

That will be their final test before the ASIAD in Guangzhou, China on November 12-27.

Women's team

Meanwhile, Viet Nam's women have been drawn in group A with hosts China, South Korea and Jordan.

Group B includes ASIAD first runner-up Japan, North Korea and Thailand.

China, who finished fifth in the last Asian Games and who are ranked 14th in the world, are predicted to make it through to the next round. The remaining places will be contested by Viet Nam and South Korea – ranked 10 places higher than Viet Nam.

The women's competition starts on November 14. The final is scheduled to take place nine days later.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News