Hong Lien's substitution sparks Vietnam comeback against South Korea in Asiad 20 sepak takraw semifinal

When the score in the first set was 3-6 in favor of South Korea, head coach Nguyen Thi Vui rose from her seat. This was not a routine huddle. She did something that many in the technical area considered risky: pulling Khanh Ly – half of the pair that won the 2026 World Championship – to bring in Hong Lien. Minutes later, the complexion of the match changed completely. A 12-point scoring run by Vietnam turned a 3-6 deficit into a 15-6 first-set victory. In a sport where each set is played only to 15 points, the quiet space between the substitution decision and the next serve was where the match truly turned.

The context of this moment is far from simple. Asiad 20 (the 20th Asian Games) was taking place in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, and sepak takraw was one of the sports where Vietnam expected to win gold. The pair of Thu Trang – Khanh Ly entered the tournament as 2026 world champions, but their Asiad campaign had a shaky start. In their opening group match, they unexpectedly lost to Laos 1-2. They then defeated Myanmar 2-0 and Malaysia 2-0 to advance from the group stage, but the fragility was already visible. In the semifinal against South Korea – a rising team from East Asia, not a traditional power like Thailand or Malaysia – Vietnam again started slowly.

Based on my years of watching the Vietnamese women's sepak takraw team, the most impressive thing about this pair is not their ability to score from precise kicks, but how they operate like a machine with only two gears. In doubles sport, a personnel change carries a completely different weight than in sports with larger squads. A substitution in volleyball can affect one specialized position, but in sepak takraw doubles, two players are the whole system: one serves, the other defends, both move to create space. When Hong Lien replaced Khanh Ly, the entire operational structure changed – and this left the opponent unable to adapt.

The defining factor of this semifinal was the tactical substitution by head coach Nguyen Thi Vui, who read the rhythm of the match and used a personnel change to shift the entire momentum in her favor. When the score stood at 3-6 in the first set, she did not wait for further damage but acted immediately. Hong Lien – the impact substitute – produced accurate finishing moves, and Vietnam scored 12 consecutive points to win 15-6. In the second set, the script repeated: Vietnam trailed 1-5, then 7-3, but once again, Hong Lien's presence put enormous pressure on the opponent. At the decisive moment, she shone to help Vietnam win 15-13, closing the match with a 2-0 victory and a ticket to the final against the Philippines.

But if we stop at the story of the substitute hero, we would miss a worrying signal. The truth is that Vietnam started slowly in both sets. Even though Hong Lien can change the flow from the bench, the habit of constantly having to come from behind in short 15-point sets is a dangerous one. Against an opponent with a stronger serve, a 4-5 point deficit at the start of a set could become an insurmountable gap. Moreover, the team is heavily dependent on a single pair. Hong Lien is an effective rotation option, but squad depth – judging by the men's regu team only reaching bronze – is yet to be truly tested.

The final against the Philippines at 7:40 a.m. on September 29 will be a different test. The Philippines are not an opponent with a strong historical record against Vietnam in the women's doubles event, something experts often cite as an overwhelming dominance. But history does not replace current form. Two matches in the same day (a group decider in the morning and a semifinal at noon) have drained energy, and the final is scheduled in an early morning slot – an unfavorable variable that not every team has the resources to adapt to. Coach Nguyen Thi Vui will have to face the question: should Hong Lien start from the beginning? And how will Khanh Ly – the world champion – be managed after being substituted mid-match?

In 39 years of watching sport, I have learned that the most spectacular victories often hide the biggest flaws. Twelve consecutive points is a beautiful number for a news report, but it does not tell us that Vietnam still owes a good start. The upcoming final will be where those questions are answered. Can the team control the tempo from the first rallies, or will they again rely on a spark from the bench? The gold medal – the first medal for the Vietnamese delegation after two medal-less days on September 26 and 27 – will only come when the team turns courage into consistency. As for me, someone who has witnessed too many sepak takraw matches ending in shocks, I am still looking for maps no one has printed: where a team wins not only by coming from behind, but by controlling the match from the very first point.