The football tournament at the 2003 SEA Games was held from 30 November to 12 December in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hai Phong and Nam Định of Vietnam. The men's tournament was played by U-23 national teams, while the women's tournament had no age limit.

The 2003 Southeast Asian Games, officially known as the 22nd Southeast Asian Games, SEA Games 22 and also known as Vietnam 2003, was a Southeast Asian multi-sport event held from 5 to 13 December 2003 in Hanoi, Vietnam. This was the first time that Vietnam had staged the SEA Games, and it saw East Timor, which had just gained independence in 2002; although not being an ASEAN member and despite its geographical location closer to the Pacific archipelago than the Asian continent, making its debut at the games.