Vietnam took on Bahrain in Bangkok on August 15 before the opening match of the AFF U23 Championship due to take place in Laos on August 20.

Quoc Viet put Vietnam ahead in the 65th minute after receiving a pass from Ngoc Thang.

However, Bahrain earned an equalizer from a direct free-kick in the 88th minute, sending the two teams to a penalty shootout. 

In a lucky penalty shootout, it was the Bahraini goalkeeper who proved to be the hero of the game, and Vietnam ultimately lost the game 5-3 on penalties.

Vietnamese players will have three days off before facing their hosts Laos in the opener of the AFF U23 Championship.

The AFF U23 Championship will take place in Rayong province of Thailand from August 17 to August 26.

Vietnam have been drawn in Group C and they will compete against Laos and the Philippines on August 20 and August 22, respectively.

Coach Hoang Anh Tuan has called up many players aged 17, 18, and 20 to join the team that will represent Vietnam at the 19th Asian Games (ASIAD) in Hangzhou, China, this September.