Vietnam journalists decry ASEAN Cup media access limits

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published: 2 August 2026 |  JP Asia Desk

Vietnamese journalists covering the ASEAN Cup's Group A match with Indonesia criticized organizers and hosts over split pre-match schedules and unequal training access, saying events in Bogor and Jakarta and short time slots made full coverage impractical.

Summary

JAKARTA — Vietnamese journalists covering the ASEAN Cup 2026 clash between Vietnam and Indonesia have criticized tournament organizers and hosts over what they described as unequal media access and an impractical schedule that made comprehensive coverage difficult ahead of the high-profile Group A match.

The complaints centered on pre-match activities held on August 2, when Vietnam and Indonesia conducted official press conferences and training sessions in different cities separated by more than 50 kilometers, leaving journalists with little realistic opportunity to attend both events.

Unequal media access

Vietnam's media activities took place at Pakansari Stadium in Bogor at 4:45 p.m., while Indonesia's official press conference and training session were scheduled at Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta at 7:00 p.m. The journey between the two venues, combined with Jakarta's heavy evening traffic, made it virtually impossible for reporters to cover both sessions in full.

Vietnamese media also objected to what they said was unequal treatment during training access. According to reports from Vietnamese news outlets, journalists covering Vietnam were permitted only 15 minutes of access to the team's training session, while Indonesian media were allowed 30 minutes at their national team's session.

The combination of limited access and the split scheduling prompted criticism from Vietnamese journalists, who described the arrangements as discriminatory and logistically unreasonable for international media covering one of the tournament's marquee fixtures.

Coverage challenges

Media organizations said the scheduling restricted their ability to gather interviews, photographs, and video from both teams before the match. With official activities held in separate locations and within a narrow time window, reporters were forced to choose between covering Vietnam or Indonesia rather than providing balanced pre-match reporting.

The Vietnam-Indonesia fixture on August 3 is one of the standout matches in Group A of the ASEAN Cup 2026, a tournament featuring Southeast Asia's leading men's national football teams. Indonesia is hosting the match at Pakansari Stadium in Bogor, which has been designated as one of the country's venues for the competition.

Neither the Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI) nor the ASEAN Football Federation had publicly responded to the complaints at the time of publication.

Broader implications

Media access has become an increasingly important aspect of major international sporting events, where equal treatment of accredited journalists is generally regarded as part of professional tournament operations. Although organizers often adjust schedules and access periods for operational or security reasons, significant disparities can draw criticism from visiting media organizations.

The controversy emerged on the eve of the Vietnam-Indonesia match, one of the tournament's most anticipated encounters, underscoring the logistical challenges that can arise when official activities are spread across multiple venues in the Jakarta metropolitan area.

ATTRIBUTION: Based on reporting by Vietnamese media published on August 2, 2026, and publicly available tournament information. Additional background is based on official tournament schedules and publicly available information from PSSI and the ASEAN Cup.

PHOTO: AI-generated; for illustrative purposes only.