The reason why coach Kim Sang-sik is temporarily not leading U.23 Vietnam is clear. Who will take care of the personnel for the match against Qatar?

On the day the Vietnamese team played the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers at home, U.23 Vietnam had an important friendly match in the UAE with a very strong opponent, U.23 Qatar.

U.23 Vietnam gets used to the time zone in the UAE

As Thanh Nien reported, to prepare for the U.23 Asian finals in Saudi Arabia in January 2026, the Vietnam U.23 team went to the UAE for training.

After settling into their accommodation and resting, recovering from the long flight, this morning (October 8), the coaching staff of the U.23 Vietnam team organized light exercises in the hotel grounds to help the players relax their muscles, release energy, and adapt to the changes in weather and time zones in the UAE.

Vietnam U.23 team training in UAE

Photo: VFF

The young players will have two important friendly matches.

The atmosphere throughout the team was relaxed and exciting, showing great concentration from the players.

This afternoon, the U.23 Vietnam team will enter a tactical training session, preparing for the first friendly match against U.23 Qatar, taking place at 321Sports Stadium at 7:00 p.m. local time (10:00 p.m. Vietnam time) on October 9. This is also the day that the Vietnam team will compete in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers, against Nepal at Thong Nhat Stadium. That is the reason why coach Kim Sang-sik cannot go with U.23 Vietnam to the UAE for training, but temporarily hands over the leadership to assistant Dinh Hong Vinh.

Before the match on October 9 in UAE, coach Dinh Hong Vinh will hold a professional meeting to plan tactics and lineup for U.23 Vietnam.

The two teams will play again on October 13. These two matches are one of two matches of the Vietnam U23 team at the training camp in the UAE, organized by the Vietnam Football Federation in coordination with the Qatar Football Federation, to help the Vietnam U23 team continue to perfect the squad, practice tactics and test their strength towards the 33rd SEA Games and the 2026 AFC U23 Championship.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/da-ro-ly-do-hlv-kim-sang-sik-tam-khong-dan-dat-u23-viet-nam-ai-lo-nhan-su-dau-qatar-185251008152007508.htm