Vietnam tied with strong rival the Republic of Korea (RoK) in their Group F qualifying match for the 2012 AFC U-16 Championship on Sept. 12.

Hwang Hee-cha opened the score for the RoK in the 27th minute while Ngoc Son levelled the score for Vietnam in the 74th minute with a penalty kick.

Vietnam will continue to meet Laos on Sept. 14, Cambodia on Sept. 17, and Chinese Taipei on September 19.

Forty teams were divided into two zones and separated into seven groups of five or six teams each. Each group will play one round at a centralised venue with the top two teams from each group moving on to the tournament.

The top three teams from the West and East zones will complete in the 16-team line at the 2012 finals./.