Indonesian media express envy and admiration following Vietnam's victory over Jordan in U23 Asian Cup

By Hoang An January 6, 2026 | 11:49 pm PT

Nguyen Dinh Bac (number 7) celebrates Vietnam's opening goal with teammates in the U23 Asian Cup clash against Jordan at King Abdullah Sports City Hall, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Jan. 6, 2026. Photo by Ted Tran

Vietnam's historic 2-0 victory over Jordan at the 2026 U23 Asian Cup has been strongly praised by Indonesian media, which also expressed disappointment that Indonesia is absent from the tournament.

Following the opening match of Group A on Tuesday night, CNN Indonesia headlined: "Vietnam dominate Jordan," praising the disciplined teamwork and high-tempo play that allowed Kim Sang-sik’s side to secure two first-half goals thanks to forward Nguyen Dinh Bac and defender Nguyen Hieu Minh.

Suara Merdeka went a step further, stating that the result between Vietnam and Jordan has left Indonesian fans feeling "envious."

The newspaper noted that the sting of the result comes from the fact that Vietnam successfully got past the qualifying rounds while Indonesia were eliminated. The newspaper reflected on the previous edition of the tournament, where both nations were the pride of the region, with Vietnam reaching the quarterfinals and Indonesia making the semifinals. However, only Vietnam and Thailand qualified for the tournament this year.

TribunWow focused on Vietnam's efficiency. While acknowledging that Jordan appeared stronger on paper and dominated the shot count with 21 attempts compared to Vietnam's 13, the site pointed out that the latter were far more effective, with six shots on target resulting in two goals.

The site warned Vietnam that the road ahead remains difficult with matches against Kyrgyzstan and host nation Saudi Arabia still to come.

Bola Okezone lauded Vietnam's proactive and strategic approach, highlighted by the team's dominant start. In the second half, despite being under heavier pressure, Vietnam were able to protect their 2-0 lead.

"This is a resounding win for Vietnam at a prestigious tournament like the U23 Asian Cup," Bola wrote.

In the 2024 edition of the tournament, Indonesia defeated Jordan 4-1 during a run that took them all the way to the semi-final, where they lost to Uzbekistan before getting defeated by Iraq in the third-place match.

However, in the qualifiers for the 2026 tournament, Indonesia were eliminated after a disappointing draw against Laos, despite having the home ground advantage.