The national flag fluttered, roads were even blocked... A Vietnamese festival atmosphere for the "Kim Sang-sik magic"

*This content was translated by AI.

With coach Kim Sang-sik leading the Vietnamese national football team to win the 2026 ASEAN Hyundai Cup, the atmosphere in Vietnam turned into a full-blown festival.

According to local Vietnamese media outlets such as VN Express, once Vietnam's victory was confirmed through the second leg of the tournament final held at My Dinh National Stadium in Hanoi on the 26th (Korea time), massive crowds poured into the streets.

Vietnam drew 2-2 with Thailand on this day, and adding to their earlier 2-0 away win in the first leg, they secured a 4-2 aggregate victory across both legs, achieving back-to-back titles for the second consecutive year following the 2024 tournament. This is the first time in history that Vietnam has won two consecutive titles in this competition, also known as the "Southeast Asian World Cup."

At the historic moment of their first-ever "back-to-back championship," countless Vietnamese fans poured into the streets to savor the joy. With crowds already gathering for street celebrations, roads quickly became packed with people.

VN Express reported, "As Vietnam defeated Thailand to claim the ASEAN Cup title, many people flooded the streets waving red-starred flags (the Vietnamese national flag), cheering amidst the sounds of trumpets and drums."

Actual photos reported by media showed countless Vietnamese fans filling roads and other public spaces to celebrate their championship win. Due to the massive crowds, some roads and bridges were temporarily closed to vehicle traffic.

It was only natural that coach Kim Sang-sik, who brought the joy of back-to-back championships for the first time in history to the Vietnamese people following the 2024 tournament, became a "Vietnamese football hero." Indeed, on this day, both the Vietnamese national flag and the South Korean flag were frequently spotted throughout the streets of Vietnam. Composite images showing coach Kim Sang-sik standing behind players in a magician's outfit also drew attention.

VN Express highlighted, "Vietnamese fans poured into the streets to cheer and celebrate their national team's victory. Some fans even carried the South Korean flag as a sign of respect for coach Kim Sang-sik, who led Vietnam to the championship."

With this victory, coach Kim Sang-sik has etched his name in Vietnamese football history as the first coach to lead Vietnam to back-to-back ASEAN Cup titles and two consecutive tournament championships.

Appointed as Vietnam's head coach in 2024, Kim Sang-sik led the team to reclaim the ASEAN Cup title in his first year, then guided them past former coach Park Hang-seo's achievements by reaching the final twice consecutively—something previously unattainable—and ultimately securing back-to-back championships, establishing himself as a new Vietnamese football hero.

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*This content was translated by AI.