Vietnam team is fresh and young

On September 30, Coach Kim Sang Sik announced the list of the Vietnamese team to prepare for the two matches against Nepal in the final qualifying round of the 2027 Asian Cup. It can be said that this is a new and young team.

Xuan Bac in the U23 Vietnam shirt - Photo: ANH KHOA

Among the 24 players called up, coach Kim Sang Sik called up 8 young faces who had just won the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Championship and qualified for the 2026 Asian U23 Championship.

Promise of newness

The 8 U23 players called up to the Vietnam national team include goalkeeper Trung Kien, central defenders Hieu Minh and Nhat Minh, left-back Phi Hoang, midfielder Khuat Van Khang and Xuan Bac, strikers Thanh Nhan and Dinh Bac. The presence of this group of young players promises to bring a new breeze and more tactical options to the Vietnam national team.

In the context of Van Vi's poor performance in Nam Dinh FC, Phi Hoang's presence is expected. This left-back not only stands out for his ability to attack and defend smoothly in the U23 Vietnam shirt, but is also the number 1 "passer" of coach Kim Sang Sik in the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Championship and the 2026 Asian U23 qualifiers. Similarly, when Chau Ngoc Quang is absent due to injury, Thanh Nhan and Dinh Bac will be worthy replacements.

But the three new names Hieu Minh, Nhat Minh and Xuan Bac are really worth waiting for. In the context of the veteran central defenders of the Vietnam national team such as Thanh Chung and Viet Anh are declining or absent due to injury, the presence of the young central defender duo Hieu Minh (1m84) - Nhat Minh (1m76) promises to bring a new boost in defense. Both have shown progress, familiarity with coach Kim Sang Sik's tactics and know how to score goals in set pieces.

Central midfielder Xuan Bac is also expected to increase the attacking quality of the Vietnamese team after his impressive performance in the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Championship. That is also the reason why coach Kim Sang Sik did not choose Thai Son, Van Truong in the U23 team or eliminated Minh Khoa in the Vietnamese team to give Xuan Bac a chance. Mr. Kim once tested the Hoang Duc - Van Truong pair in the Vietnamese team, and now it could be Hoang Duc - Xuan Bac.

Many expectations

Facing a weak opponent like Nepal, Coach Kim Sang Sik boldly reformed the squad. However, Mr. Kim still combined the youth and experience of the players to ensure both succession and stability in the playing style to aim for two consecutive wins. This is also the long-term orientation of the Vietnamese team in the process of establishing a new generation squad to aim for important goals ahead.

Coach Kim Sang's notable change in this training session is in the goal. The two veteran goalkeepers Nguyen Filip and Dinh Trieu were both eliminated due to their poor form. Instead, he called back Dang Van Lam - the Vietnamese-American goalkeeper who has been absent since the 2024 ASEAN Cup and is now showing good form for Ninh Binh Club through the first 5 rounds of the 2025 - 2026 V-League.

At the same time, Mr. Kim also gave a chance to Nguyen Van Viet - a young goalkeeper who is playing well in the new shirt of The Cong - Viettel Club when he only conceded 1 goal in 4 matches. Van Viet's good form also makes the competition for a position in the current Vietnam national team and U23 Vietnam at SEA Games 33 at the end of this year very tense, when Trung Kien also showed great progress.

The attack line also promises to have positive changes. Besides Tien Linh and Pham Tuan Hai, the remaining three strikers have also shown that they will bring a new look to the Vietnamese team's attack line. Thanh Nhan and Dinh Bac have the advantage of being familiar with coach Kim Sang Sik's playing style. Pham Gia Hung has never worked with the Korean coach, but is showing good form for Ninh Binh Club and deserves to be given the opportunity.

Pham Gia Hung (1m81) plays as a striker - a position that Mr. Kim has had a headache finding a replacement for Tien Linh when needed in the past but has been helpless. Previously, Dinh Thanh Binh was chosen but did not perform as well as expected and is now absent.

On October 4, the team gathered.

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

Tickets for these two matches are priced at VND200,000 and VND400,000, and will be sold exclusively online on the OneU app (formerly VinID) from September 29 to October 7 in two batches. In addition, tickets will also be sold directly at ticket counters at Go Dau and Thong Nhat stadiums from October 4.

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NGUYEN KHOI

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/tuyen-viet-nam-moi-me-tre-trung-20251001001616568.htm