Rejuvenating the Vietnamese team

Coach Kim Sang-sik confidently promoted many U23 national team players to the Vietnam national team to prepare for the two matches against Nepal in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers in Ho Chi Minh City.

After the heavy loss to Malaysia in the second match of Group F of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers, many opinions said that the Vietnamese team needs to increase human resources, renew and rejuvenate the core force.

Some promising faces for the defense

In the list of 23 players of the Vietnam national team on the occasion of FIFA Days in October 2025, coach Kim Sang-sik summoned 8 young faces of the U23 Vietnam team that won the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Championship and won a ticket to the final round of the 2026 Asian U23 Championship, 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.

In this group, Hieu Minh, Nhat Minh, Phi Hoang and Xuan Bac have little experience wearing the national team jersey but have just gone through a period of excellent performance in the domestic tournament and U23 Vietnam.

Last season, center back Hieu Minh won the Best Young Player award in the 2024-2025 National First Division. His impressive performance in the PVF-CAND club helped Hieu Minh catch the eye of coach Kim Sang-sik.

With a height of 1.84 m, Hieu Minh has an advantage in "air combat", suitable for many modern attacking football tactics such as: 3-4-3, 3-5-2, 4-4-2, 4-3-3 or 4-3-1-2... Hieu Minh also actively participates in supporting the attack when playing as a wing-back.

In the two recent international U23 tournaments in 2024 and 2025, the player born in 2004 repeatedly demonstrated his ability to accurately pass long balls, create assists for teammates to score goals, and also directly score goals to bring victory to the home team.

Meanwhile, Nhat Minh has become a good partner with Hieu Minh in the U23 Vietnam defense. The 22-year-old center back has a modern tactical mindset, limits contact but still achieves high efficiency thanks to his clever defensive ability.

Intelligent, mature for his age and full of confidence every time he steps onto the field, Nhat Minh shows the qualities of a "leader" in the defense, often playing in the middle center-back position in a 3-defender formation or playing lowest when the home team deploys a 4-defender tactic.

Nhat Minh (No. 16) and Hieu Minh (No. 4) are new players in the Vietnamese national team lineup for FIFA Days in October 2025. (Photo: VPF)

Growing up from the HAGL JMG training center and Nutifood Football Academy, Nhat Minh was twice runner-up in the National U19 Tournament, champion of the National U21 Tournament with Hoang Anh Gia Lai Club before being called up to the levels from U17 to U23 Vietnam.

Nhat Minh is highly appreciated for his extensive experience playing in the professional arena, having played for Long An Club (First Division 2024-2025) and is currently an important member of Hai Phong Club in V-League 2025-2026.

"On the national team or at the home club, there is a certain level of competition, each environment has its own differences. The important thing is to know how to integrate and find ways to adapt to best develop your abilities" - Nhat Minh expressed.

Refresh the attack

In the list of players called up to the Vietnam national team to prepare for the 2 matches with Nepal this time, there is striker Pham Gia Hung ( Ninh Binh Club). The 25-year-old striker, 1.82 m tall, is expected to be the replacement for Nguyen Tien Linh in the Vietnam national team in the near future.

Gia Hung grew up from the PVF youth training center, standing out alongside stars Hoang Duc, Van Lam... contributing to helping Ninh Binh FC win the First Division Championship and be promoted to V-League 2025-2026.

Last season, Pham Gia Hung was the player who scored the most goals in the Ninh Binh FC squad, with 6 goals, thereby being in the top 3 best strikers of the tournament, only behind Luu Tu Nhan and Cong Phuong of Truong Tuoi Dong Nai Club.

Gia Hung (left cover) is a new element in the Vietnamese national team lineup on the occasion of FIFA Days in October 2025. Photo: VPF

Before being named at FIFA Days in October 2025, Gia Hung was also called up to the Vietnam national team at FIFA Days in September 2025, playing two friendly matches with Hanoi Police Club and Nam Dinh.

Not only does he have good physique, speed and skillful technique, Gia Hung is also sharp in finishing. In V-League this season, Gia Hung has scored 1 goal in 4 rounds and is highly appreciated by coach Nguyen Viet Thang for his professional ability.

The presence of this group of young players promises to bring a breath of fresh air and more tactical options to the team. However, to compete for a place in the starting lineup of the Vietnam team, they need to show outstanding efforts in training.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/tre-hoa-doi-tuyen-viet-nam-1962509302202178.htm