The organizing committee for the 33rd Southeast Asian Games in Thailand has formally issued an apology to both Vietnam and Laos following a significant technical issue during the opening match of the men’s Group B football tournament on December 3. This regrettable incident involved the absence of musical accompaniment for the national anthems of both nations, compelling the Vietnamese and Laotian players to sing their respective anthems without any backing track.
The match itself saw Vietnam secure a 2-1 victory over Laos at the Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok. However, before the game even commenced, the stadium’s sound system malfunctioned, leading to visible frustration and conflict among supporters of both teams. This technical failure directly resulted in players from both sides being forced to perform their national anthems unaccompanied.
Less than two hours after the match concluded, the organizers dispatched a formal apology to the Olympic Committees of both Vietnam and Laos. This letter expressed regret for the technical problems encountered. The apology was coordinated with key sports bodies, including the Thai Sports Authority (SAT) and the Football Federation of Thailand (FAT), acknowledging their contributions to the men’s soccer event, including those planned for the SEA Games 2025.
SAT President GATAK Yodmani publicly affirmed the organization’s commitment to ensuring that such issues would not recur in future events. He also extended his personal apologies to all relevant partners affected by the technical difficulties experienced by Vietnam and Laos at Rajamangala Stadium.
This incident marks the second occasion in which Vietnamese delegations have faced significant protocol issues with Thai hosts. Earlier, during the draw for the ASEAN U19 Futsal tournament, Thai organizers controversially displayed a Chinese flag symbol instead of Vietnam’s national flag. This prior error had drawn widespread disappointment and strong criticism from both Vietnamese football fans and the Vietnam Football Federation at the time.
Further compounding these concerns, another error recently emerged during a Group A women’s football match where host nation Thailand defeated Indonesia. A broadcast graphic incorrectly depicted a composite flag image that combined elements of the Indonesian, Laotian, Thai, and Vietnamese flags. Although the image was swiftly removed from the FAT’s social media platforms, it added to the growing list of organizational missteps.
