Seizing the moment! Nguyen Dinh Bach, Vietnam’s number 7 attacker, declared himself the true king of ASEAN after winning the SEA Games 2025.
On 19 Dec 2025 GMT+7, Nguyen Dinh Bach, the number 7 forward, loudly proclaimed at Rajamangala Stadium that Vietnam is the real king of ASEAN after scoring the opening goal in a dramatic match that saw Vietnam overturn the host, Thailand—the 16-time SEA Games champions known as the "War Elephants"—with a 3-2 victory, securing their 4th SEA Games title on Thai soil.
Nguyen Dinh Bach shouted with pride, “I’m very happy! Winning the championship on Thai soil is the best feeling. We were champions before in Indonesia, and now we’ve become champions in Thailand. We are the kings of Southeast Asia.”
After the match, Dinh Bach revealed coach Kim Sang-sik’s motivating words during the time when the team was two goals behind, saying, “The coach told me to keep running and give it my all. I ran at 200% effort today, fighting for our national colors. In the end, we became champions. Winning here in Thailand brings real joy.”