One such instance occurred in the 77th minute of Vietnam's 1-0 victory over Indonesia at Bung Karno Stadium on the evening of 29/7. Coach Yoon held a white towel high and twirled it as the players prepared to defend against a strong throw-in from Robi Darwis on the left wing.
After the match, coach Kim Sang-sik was asked about the meaning of this action. "Because we were playing in a large stadium with a big, noisy crowd, it was difficult for the players to hear verbal instructions," he said. "So we waved the towel to signal the players to press in certain situations."
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Fitness coach Yoon Dong-hun waves a white towel in the 77th minute of Vietnam's 1-0 win against Indonesia in the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Championship final, at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Indonesia, on 29/7/2025. Screenshot |
Fitness coach Yoon Dong-hun waves a white towel in the 77th minute of Vietnam's 1-0 win against Indonesia in the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Championship final, at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Indonesia, on 29/7/2025. Screenshot
In fact, Kim Sang-sik and his assistants have employed this method while coaching the Vietnam national team. In an April interview with the Korean newspaper Chosun, the 1976-born coach also mentioned waving a towel, but with some differences.
"We use signals to communicate on the field, such as shaking a board to mean 'press' or waving a towel to mean 'change tactics'," Kim said. "It's similar to how the famous Korean admiral Yi Sun-shin deployed the crane wing formation by beating a drum."
Vietnam's towel-waving action was widely shared on social media. One Thai account even mistakenly believed that the Vietnamese coaching staff had taken Indonesia's ball-wiping towel, used for throw-ins.
Under coach Park Hang-seo, Vietnam also had its own signals for instructions, or innovative ways to communicate in crowded stadiums. Notably, they used walkie-talkies, primarily for communication between the technical area and the fitness coach, who was warming up players further away.
In addition to the signals in the final match, the act of scattering water bottles in the technical area at the end of the game also garnered mixed reactions. Some praised Vietnam for devising a clever way to block the opponent's tactics at a crucial moment, viewing it as an acceptable trick. However, some Indonesian media outlets considered it unsportsmanlike.
19-year-old midfielder Nguyen Cong Phuong's goal in the 37th minute secured Vietnam's victory over Indonesia, marking their third consecutive Southeast Asian U23 Championship title, following wins in 2022 and 2023. This is Kim Sang-sik's second title since arriving in Vietnam, following the 2024 ASEAN Cup.
Hieu Luong
