The football rivalry between Vietnam and Thailand is considered by many as a major sporting rivalry in Southeast Asia and is sometimes referred as the region's "Classic". Including the records of the South Vietnam (according to FIFA), both sides have faced each other in 62 matches since 1956, with Vietnam winning 26, Thailand 23 and 13 resulting in a draw. As one of the most popular rivalries in Southeast Asia, matches between Thailand and Vietnam often attract huge attention from the media and supporters in both countries.
Overview The Thailand and Vietnam national football teams first faced each other after Vietnamese reunification at the 1995 SEA Games in Chiang Mai, following earlier encounters during the South Vietnam era. Competitions between the two countries' teams have since developed into a fierce sporting rivalry, influenced by a strong sense of nationalism on both sides. This has at times erupted into violence, notably at the 2015 AFF U-19 Youth Championship in Vientiane.
Historically, Thailand is the most successful side in Southeast Asian men's football, winning a total of seven ASEAN Championship titles compared with Vietnam's four (as of 2026). However, in the four ASEAN Championship finals in which the two sides have met, Vietnam has won three titles, while Thailand has won one. In the 21st century, Thailand has also qualified for the AFC Asian Cup more times than Vietnam, although the latter achieved better overall performances in two of the three editions they managed to qualify for. During the 2007 AFC Asian Cup, Vietnam became the only host country to reach the knockout phase after three other hosts: Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia were all eliminated in the group stage. In the 2019 edition, Vietnam reached the quarter-finals while Thailand was knocked out in the round of 16. Nevertheless, in the 2023 edition, Thailand reached the round of 16 while Vietnam was knocked out in the group stage, marking their worst performance in Asian Cup history since reunification.
Despite being termed a "rivalry" by the media, encounters between Thailand and Vietnam since their first meeting in 1956 have been characterized by shifting periods of dominance, while remaining broadly balanced overall. During the early period, Thailand had an inferior record against South Vietnam, losing 20 out of 28 matches and winning only 5. However, after a unified Vietnam returned to international football in 1991, Thailand established a prolonged period of dominance until 2016, recording 14 wins, 5 draws, and only 2 losses. Since late 2017, the rivalry has become more closely contested, with 4 wins each and 5 draws in 13 matches (as of 2026). The most recent confrontation between these two teams took place in the 2026 FIFA ASEAN Cup, where Thailand won 2–0.
There have been memorable matches for both sides in the rivalry, including the 2008 AFF Championship final, when Vietnam's 2–1 victory in the first leg in Bangkok set them up for their first-ever regional title, which they secured after a 1–1 draw in Hanoi in the second leg, and Thailand's 3–0 victory in the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification.
History
South Vietnamese dominance (1956–1975) Following the division of Vietnam in 1954, the Republic of Vietnam national team served as Vietnam's representative in matches against Thailand until 1975, as North Vietnam primarily played against other communist countries and never faced Thailand.
The first friendlies between the two sides in April 1956 saw South Vietnam record 2–1 and 3–1 victories over Thailand, respectively, marking the beginning of their competitive rivalry.
One of the earliest significant encounters between the two sides came at the inaugural Southeast Asian Peninsular Games in Bangkok on 13 December 1959. South Vietnam defeated Thailand 4–0 in the group stage and, four days later, 3–1 in the final to win the gold medal.Further encounters throughout the 1960s reinforced South Vietnam's dominance, including a 3–0 victory over Thailand in the 1964 AFC Asian Cup qualification on 14 December 1963 in Saigon and a 5–0 victory over Thailand in the semi-final of the 1967 SEAP Games on 14 December 1967 in Bangkok. Thailand nevertheless enjoyed occasional successes, including a 2–1 victory in the group stage of the 1965 SEAP Games in Kuala Lumpur, followed by a 2–0 win in the semi-final of the same tournament.
The pattern persisted into the early 1970s, with South Vietnam generally maintaining the advantage over Thailand. Thailand's most significant success during this period came on 21 March 1975, when they defeated South Vietnam 4–0 in Bangkok during the 1976 AFC Asian Cup qualification. The match also marked the final meeting between the two sides before the reunification of Vietnam.
Thai dominance (1995–2016) In 1991, Vietnam returned to international football. The Thailand and Vietnam national football teams first met in the post-reunification era at the 1995 SEA Games in Chiang Mai, where Vietnam suffered a 3–1 defeat in the group stage on 10 December 1995. Six days later, they suffered a 4–0 defeat to Thailand in the final of that edition of the SEA Games. During this period, Thailand generally held the upper hand over Vietnam, with notable victories including a 4–0 victory over Vietnam in the semi-final of the 2002 AFF Championship in Jakarta, which remains Vietnam's heaviest defeat in ASEAN Championship history, and a 3–0 win in Hanoi during the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification. Despite this, Vietnam also recorded several significant victories, including a 3–0 win over Thailand in the semi-final of the 1998 AFF Championship, which also remains Thailand's heaviest defeat in ASEAN Championship history, and a 2–1 win over Thailand in Bangkok in the first leg of the 2008 AFF Championship final, which helped Vietnam win the 2008 AFF Championship following a 1–1 draw in the second leg, secured by Lê Công Vinh's goal in the 90+3th minute.
A rivalry of equals and the Vietnamese emergence (2017–present) In October 2017, the appointment of Park Hang-seo as head coach marked a significant turning point for Vietnam's national football team. Vietnam recorded its first victory over Thailand in 11 years with a 1–0 win at the 2019 King's Cup in Chang Arena thanks to a late goal by Nguyễn Anh Đức. During this period, Vietnam and Thailand have both consistently ranked among the top two teams in Southeast Asia in the FIFA World Rankings. Other notable encounters included the two matches during the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers in 2019, both of which ended in goalless draws. In the semi-finals of the 2020 AFF Championship, Thailand won 2–0 on aggregate, with both goals coming in the first leg through Chanathip Songkrasin. Thailand and Vietnam met again in the 2022 AFF Championship final, where Thailand won 3–2 on aggregate, with Theerathon Bunmathan scoring the decisive goal in the second leg at Thammasat Stadium. They faced each other once more in the 2024 ASEAN Championship final, where Vietnam won 5–3 on aggregate after winning both legs, with Nguyễn Xuân Son scoring a brace in the first leg in Việt Trì and Nguyễn Hai Long scoring a late goal in the second at Rajamangala Stadium. As of 2026, the rivalry has seen three consecutive ASEAN Championship final meetings between the two teams, in 2022, 2024 and 2026.
List of matches
Thailand vs. South Vietnam #DateHomeResultAwayVenueTournament1April 1956South Vietnam 2–1ThailandSaigonFriendly2April 1956South Vietnam 3–1Thailand313 December 1959Thailand 0–4South VietnamBangkokSEAP Games 1959 (group stage)417 December 1959Thailand 1–3South VietnamSEAP Games 1959 (gold medal match)516 August 1961South Vietnam 2–1ThailandSingaporeFriendly611 December 1961Thailand0–0South VietnamRangoonSEAP Games 1961 (group stage)716 December 1961Thailand1–1South VietnamSEAP Games 1961 (bronze medal match)828 October 1962South Vietnam 0–1ThailandSaigon1962 Independence Cup (group stage)917 August 1963South Vietnam 3–2ThailandKuala Lumpur1963 Merdeka Tournament1014 December 1963South Vietnam 3–0ThailandSaigon1964 AFC Asian Cup qualification 1113 November 1965South Vietnam 4–0Thailand1965 Independence Cup 1215 December 1965Thailand 2–1South VietnamKuala LumpurSEAP Games 1965 (group stage)1318 December 1965Thailand 2–0South VietnamSEAP Games 1965 (semi-final)145 November 1966South Vietnam 4–1ThailandSaigon1966 Independence Cup1524 March 1967Thailand 0–1South VietnamHong Kong1968 AFC Asian Cup qualification 1619 August 1967South Vietnam 5–2ThailandIpoh1967 Merdeka Tournament1714 December 1967Thailand 0–5South VietnamBangkokSEAP Games 1967 (semi-final)1815 August 1968Thailand 2–3South VietnamIpoh1968 Merdeka Tournament 191 November 1970South Vietnam 1–0ThailandSaigon1970 Independence Cup (final)2013 December 1970Thailand 1–0South VietnamBangkok1970 Asian Games (group stage)2110 August 1971South Vietnam 4–2ThailandKuala Lumpur1971 Merdeka Tournament (group stage)2226 August 1971South Vietnam 2–1ThailandSingapore1971 Pesta Sukan Cup (semi-final)2330 October 1971South Vietnam 3–0ThailandSaigon1974 Independence Cup (semi-final)2411 November 1971Thailand 0–1South VietnamBangkok1971 King's Cup (group stage)2518 December 1971Thailand0–0South VietnamKuala LumpurSEAP Games 1971 (bronze medal match)2616 May 1973South Vietnam 1–0ThailandSeoul1974 FIFA World Cup qualification 279 November 1974South Vietnam 3–2ThailandSaigon1974 Independence Cup 2821 March 1975Thailand 4–0South VietnamBangkok1976 AFC Asian Cup qualification
Thailand vs. Vietnam