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Vietnamese people filled the streets early on the 24th, unable to suppress their excitement following their under-23 national football team’s victory over South Korea in a penalty shootout, which earned them third place at the AFC U-23 Asian Cup. Festive crowds overwhelmed the roads, leading traffic police to step in.

Vietnam won against South Korea in the third-place game of the AFC U-23 Asian Cup, which took place at 00:00 KST on the 24th in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The game concluded 2-2 following extra time, with Vietnam winning 7-6 in the penalty shootout.

In South Korea, it was referred to as the “Jeddah disaster,” whereas for Vietnam, it turned into the “Jeddah victory.”

As reported by Vietnam’s well-known media platform VnExpress, people gathered on the streets around 1 a.m. local time following the game’s end, using vuvuzelas, honking motorcycle horns, and clanging pots and pans to mark the occasion. International visitors also participated, waving Vietnamese flags and enjoying the festive environment.

VnExpress published 10 major articles focusing on Vietnam’s triumph against South Korea. These covered in-depth accounts of the penalty shootout, interviews with Vietnam’s head coach Kim Sang-sik and South Korea’s Lee Min-sung, and profiles of standout players such as scorer Nguyen Dinh Bac and goalkeeper Cao Van Vinh.

Positive feedback for Coach Kim Sang-sik was prominent. Following Vietnam’s 0-3 defeat by China in the semifinals, Kim made nine alterations to the starting team for the third-place game. The press commented, “Although the expected goals (xG) value was only 0.24 against South Korea, the team managed to score two goals and emerge victorious. Kim’s courageous rotation and the players’ strong discipline, along with effective use of counterattacks, resulted in the win.”

It stated, “Vietnam ended a long-held curse by beating South Korea for the first time. Coach Kim and his team wrapped up their heartfelt journey at the U-23 Asian Cup with this landmark victory.”

Football supporters overwhelmed online spaces to express their joy. One supporter commented in a news article, “The ‘know your enemy’ approach led to incredibly sharp counterattacks. I could tell how committed the players were.” A Facebook fan page with 1.87 million followers received numerous comments such as, “I’m crying from pure happiness.”