At the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium on 29/7, Dinh Bac and his teammates defeated hosts Indonesia 1-0 in the final, securing Vietnam's third consecutive title. His joy was doubled when he was named the tournament's best player, despite Nguyen Cong Phuong scoring the only goal in the final.
Dinh Bac played in all four matches, starting in three. The 2004-born forward scored two goals, playing 265 out of a possible 360 minutes.
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Nguyen Dinh Bac (red shirt) playing in Vietnam's 1-0 victory against Indonesia in the 2025 AFF U23 Championship final at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Indonesia, on 29/7/2025. Photo: Hai Tu |
In the group stage, Dinh Bac was named the best player in the 2-1 victory against Cambodia, scoring the winning goal. In the semi-final against the Philippines, the Nghe An native scored the equalizer in a 2-1 comeback win. He started in the final, before being substituted in injury time as Vietnam sought to strengthen their defense.
"Right now, I couldn't be happier. Winning the championship in Indonesia is the best feeling," Dinh Bac said after the match. "We had to play under pressure from over 35,000 fans, but we did it, and we're proud of this achievement."
Dinh Bac began his career at SLNA before moving to Quang Nam. He is considered a promising forward, making a strong impression under coach Philippe Troussier from late 2023 to early 2024. His highlight was scoring the opening goal for Vietnam in their 4-2 loss to Japan in the group stage of the 2023 Asian Cup. However, Dinh Bac has also been involved in controversies due to injuries and off-field issues, including a last-minute decision to join CAHN instead of Hanoi FC at the start of the 2024-2025 season.
During the national team training camp in March, he fractured his fifth metatarsal. It took him three months to return to training and competition. Despite this, the 2004-born forward contributed three goals and two assists in 19 matches for CAHN.
Before Dinh Bac, the AFF U23 Championship best player award was presented twice. Laotian forward Bounphachan Bounkong won the award in 2022, and Arkhan Fikri of Indonesia in 2023.
The organizers also awarded the Most Promising Player award to Filipino forward Out Banatao. Indonesian forward Jens Raven won the Golden Boot with 7 goals, also becoming the highest scorer in a single tournament.
The Best Goalkeeper award went to Ardiansyah of Indonesia. He conceded two goals throughout the tournament, the same as Vietnamese goalkeeper Tran Trung Kien, but played one more match. Ardiansyah also saved a penalty in Indonesia's semi-final victory against Thailand.
Hieu Luong
