Young factor in Vietnam team

Young factor in Vietnam team

On September 30, head coach Kim Sang-sik announced the list of 24 players of the Vietnamese team to gather in the 4th session of 2025, preparing for two matches against Nepal in the final qualifying round of the 2027 Asian Cup next October.

Notably, there are 8 young faces from the U23 team that just won the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Championship and passed the 2026 Asian U23 Qualifiers, including: Tran Trung Kien, Khuat Van Khang, Nguyen Hieu Minh, Nguyen Xuan Bac, Nguyen Thanh Nhan, Nguyen Phi Hoang, Nguyen Nhat Minh and Nguyen Dinh Bac.

The Vietnamese team is preparing for two important matches in October. Photo: VFF.

In addition, the team also continues to maintain its core force with many veterans with extensive international competition experience such as Do Duy Manh, Bui Tien Dung, Pham Xuan Manh, Pham Tuan Hai, Nguyen Hai Long, Nguyen Hoang Duc, Nguyen Quang Hai, Cao Pentdant Quang Vinh, Nguyen Tien Linh and other familiar pillars.

According to VFF’s assessment, the presence of a group of young players promises to bring a new breeze and more tactical options to the team. The combination of youth and experience is expected to create depth and balance for the squad, ensuring both succession and stability in the playing style. This is also the long-term orientation of the team in the process of establishing a new generation squad to aim for important goals ahead.

In the most recent gathering in September, the Vietnamese team did not compete internationally. The 24-player squad, in addition to familiar faces such as Quang Hai, Hoang Duc, Duy Manh, Thanh Chung, Tien Linh, etc., the coaching staff also gave opportunities to many new players including striker Pham Gia Hung, defender Tran Hoang Phuc and young midfielder Dinh Quang Kiet.

Since coach Kim Sang-sik is also leading the Vietnam U23 team to compete in the 2026 AFC U23 Championship Qualifiers, the command of the Vietnam team is given to assistant Dinh Hong Vinh. The team maintains training according to the curriculum and has two practice matches with the blue troops, which are V.League teams: Nam Dinh Blue Steel and Hanoi Police.

The 8 U23 Vietnam players called up to the national team this time are all faces that have left their mark, are potential players in international youth tournaments. They will be the core for Mr. Kim Sang-sik to choose for SEA Games 33. Therefore, these players are called up to the national team as well as to practice and prepare for the big tournament. The experience accumulated in the national team environment will help them be more confident when returning to wear the U23 Vietnam shirt to attend the SEA Games.

Facing Nepal, an opponent not rated too highly in the 2027 Asian Cup Qualifiers, Mr. Kim Sang-sik's giving the young players a chance is also a test. In the context that the Vietnamese team has not left much of an impression after the past matches, especially in the attack, the appearance of the players also increases the competition in the positions.

For young players, they will have a chance to prove themselves. Among them, players like Van Khang and Dinh Bac have had more or less opportunities to be called up to the national team, now is the time for them to show more when they return.

According to the plan, the Vietnamese team will gather again on October 4 in Ho Chi Minh City to prepare for two matches against Nepal. The first leg will take place at Go Dau Stadium on October 9, while the second leg will be held at Thong Nhat Stadium (Ho Chi Minh City) on October 14, 2025.

U23 Vietnam gathers

The Vietnam U23 team will regroup from October 4 in Hanoi , along with the Vietnam national team during FIFA Days in October 2025. This is part of the plan that VFF has built very early to prepare for the 33rd SEA Games and the 2026 AFC U23 Championship.

In the list of the 3rd round of 2025, except for a number of excellent players called up to the national team to compete in the 2027 Asian Cup Qualifiers, many notable faces continue to be present such as Pham Ly Duc, Le Van Thuan, Nguyen Van Truong, Nguyen Ngoc My - players who left their mark in the recent U23 Asian qualifying round.

Notably, in the list of the U23 Vietnam team gathering this time, there is the presence of a new factor Nguyen Vadim (SHB Da Nang Club). Born in 2005 in Russia, Vadim has a Vietnamese father and a Russian mother. At the age of 20, this 1m75 tall player is considered quite versatile, able to play well in both the winger and central midfielder positions. Vadim is also a new player of SHB Da Nang in the 2025/26 season. With his presence, U23 Vietnam currently has three Vietnamese-American players including Tran Thanh Trung, Le Viktor and Nguyen Vadim.

As head coach Kim Sang-sik is leading the Vietnam team to prepare for two matches against Nepal in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers, the training and management of the Vietnam U23 team's training activities continues to be assigned to Acting Head Coach Dinh Hong Vinh.

According to the plan, the Vietnam U23 team will train at the Vietnam Youth Football Training Center until October 7, then will go to the UAE for training. Here, the team will have two friendly matches with the Qatar U23 team, which are considered to be of very high quality in terms of expertise, on October 9 and October 13 respectively, thereby continuing to perfect the squad, practice tactics and accumulate experience for the immediate goal of the 33rd SEA Games and then the 2026 AFC U23 Championship in Saudi Arabia.

Source: https://cand.com.vn/the-thao/nhan-to-tre-o-doi-tuyen-viet-nam--i783156/