Coach Kim Sang Sik, U22 Vietnam receives multiple prestigious awards

On the evening of January 29, 2026, at Ho Guom Theater (Hanoi), the 9th Victory Cup Awards Gala – 2025 took place solemnly, celebrating the best individuals and teams in Vietnamese sports from the previous year.

Eleven prestigious categories of the nation's top annual awards – often called the “Oscars of Vietnamese sports” – were officially announced.

Among the collective and individual awards, football proudly secured 4 categories: Team of the Year (U22 team winning gold at SEA Games 33); Best Foreign Expert of the Year (Coach Kim Sang Sik); Most Impressive Sports Image/Moment of the Year (Dinh Bac putting a helmet on Coach Kim Sang Sik after the SEA Games 33 final); Young Athlete of the Year (Nguyen Dinh Bac, U22/23 Vietnam team).

With an impressive Gold Medal at SEA Games 33, the U22 Vietnam team was voted “Team of the Year.” Additionally, Coach Kim Sang Sik was honored as the “Best Foreign Expert,” after leading Vietnamese football teams to victory in three consecutive tournaments in 2025: ASEAN Cup, U23 Southeast Asia Championship, and SEA Games 33.

Forward Nguyen Dinh Bac – only 21 years old, a standout figure in the journey to winning the U23 Southeast Asia Championship and the SEA Games 33 Gold Medal – was awarded the Young Athlete of the Year title. The player, currently with Hanoi Police Club, also contributed to the U22 Vietnam team’s victory, which earned the Team of the Year honor.

The moment Nguyen Dinh Bac put a helmet on Coach Kim Sang Sik during the thrilling victory celebration against U22 Thailand in the SEA Games 33 final was chosen as the Image and Moment of the Year. This scene is featured in the clip “Dinh Bac’s Affection for Coach Kim Sang Sik” produced by the Vietnam Football Federation’s Communications Department.

List of award categories at the 2025 Victory Cup

Female Athlete of the Year:Trinh Thu Vinh (shooting, Public Security) won 1 gold medal at the 2025 Asian Cup, 4 gold medals and broke 3 records at the SEA Games 33

Male Athlete of the Year: Ha Minh Thanh (shooting, Army) earned 2 gold medals at the 2025 Asian Cup, 2 gold medals and broke 1 record at the SEA Games 33

Young Athlete of the Year: Nguyen Dinh Bac (21 years old, football, Hanoi Police) won gold at SEA Games 33, champion of the 2025 U23 Southeast Asia Championship

Outstanding Disabled Athlete of the Year:Vi Thi Hang (swimming, Ho Chi Minh City) achieved 2 Asian standards at the 2025 Para World Series Mexico, won 4 gold medals at the 2025 National Swimming Championship

Coach of the Year: Duong Hoang Long (head coach of the national karate kumite team) trained and led athletes to win 2 gold medals at the Asian Championship, 3 gold medals at SEA Games 33

Best Foreign Expert of the Year: Kim Sang Sik (South Korea, national men’s football team) coached and led the national team to win the ASEAN Cup, the U23 team to win the Southeast Asia U23 Championship, and the U22 team to claim gold at SEA Games 33.

Team of the Year:The U22 men’s football team winning gold at SEA Games 33

Teamwork of the Year: The mixed 4x400m relay team (Ta Ngoc Tuong, Le Ngoc Phuc, Nguyen Thi Ngoc, Nguyen Thi Hang) won gold and broke the SEA Games 33 record.

Lifetime Achievement:Former shooter Cung Binh Di

Most Popular Athlete of the Year: Tran Thi Thanh Thuy – captain of the Vietnam women’s volleyball team

Image and Moment: The moment Dinh Bac put a helmet on Coach Kim Sang Sik, who then became the “double uncle” as the U22 team exploded with joy after a spectacular comeback against Thailand to win the SEA Games 33 gold medal.