U.23 Vietnam will be even stronger thanks to unexpected factors, which are...

The Vietnam U.23 team will be even stronger than the squad that just participated in the 2026 AFC U.23 Championship qualifiers, because coach Kim Sang-sik still has many good players in the U.23 age group.

Potential remains

After the U.23 Asian qualifiers just ended in Viet Tri ( Phu Tho ), the Vietnam U.23 team will participate in two very important tournaments in the near future, including the 32nd SEA Games taking place in December this year and the U.23 Asian Finals, taking place in January 2026. To prepare for these two consecutive tournaments, Coach Kim Sang-sik needs a strong and elite enough force to be able to share strength with each other, as well as have enough professional capacity to compete with strong opponents.

U.23 Vietnam can be stronger in the future

Photo: Minh Tu

Fortunately for the Korean coach, there are quite a few players in the 23-year-old age group of Vietnamese football, qualified to participate in the 32nd SEA Games and the 2026 AFC U-23 Championship. Not counting those who have just appeared at Viet Tri Stadium in the past few days, there are a few other players with good professional skills, capable of wearing the U-23 Vietnam team shirt in the upcoming tournaments.

The first character worth mentioning is Nguyen Duc Viet. The HAGL Club player is quite versatile. He can play well in the positions of attacking midfielder, striker and central midfielder. Former coach of the Vietnam U.23 team, Mr. Hoang Anh Tuan, commented: "If I compare Duc Viet with the two central midfielders who just played officially in the match between Vietnam U.23 and Yemen on September 9, I think Duc Viet is not inferior. First, Duc Viet is more experienced than Xuan Bac. Next, if I compare Duc Viet with Thai Son, through Thai Son's rather lackluster performance against Yemen U.23, Duc Viet can do better than the player currently playing for Thanh Hoa Club."

U.23 Vietnam no longer worries about physical factors

The next player that coach Kim Sang-sik can add to the U.23 Vietnam squad before the 32nd SEA Games and the 2026 AFC U.23 Championship is the "giant" center-back Dinh Quang Kiet (1.96 m) of HAGL. This center-back's superior physique is a clear advantage that the U.23 Vietnam squad can take advantage of.

Striker Nguyen Dang Duong (9) can solve the physical problem for the U.23 Vietnam attack line.

Photo: Minh Tu

Coach Kim Sang-sik does not even need to give Dinh Quang Kiet a regular playing position. Mr. Kim only needs to use the HAGL Club's central defender at specific times, especially in the final stages of each match, when U.23 Vietnam needs more players to protect the defense in the opponent's high balls, or strengthen the attack (pushing Quang Kiet up to play as a striker in the final minutes) when U.23 Vietnam needs to fight in the air.

The Korean coach has tested Dinh Quang Kiet in the friendly matches of the Vietnam national team against Nam Dinh and Hanoi Police Club (CAHN) in recent days. That is a detail that reflects coach Kim Sang-sik's willingness to give opportunities to HAGL players.

Also related to the issue of physique and also able to supplement the weakness of U.23 Vietnam is striker Nguyen Dang Duong. The striker currently under contract with The Cong Viettel Club is 1.84 m tall and can play in the center forward position. This is the position where U.23 Vietnam is quite weak in the Southeast Asian U.23 tournament and the Asian U.23 qualifiers. This is also the position where coach Kim Sang-sik's team once had a disappointing player, Nguyen Quoc Viet. Therefore, it is possible that coach Kim Sang-sik will recalculate the attack line before the 32nd SEA Games and the 2026 Asian U.23 Finals.

In addition, the list of players in the age group of 23, capable of wearing the U.23 Vietnam team shirt in the near future also includes right-back Nguyen Hong Phuc (Da Nang), center-back Nguyen Manh Hung (Ha Tinh), midfielder Tran Thanh Trung (Ninh Binh), Dinh Xuan Tien (The Cong Viettel), Nguyen Thai Quoc Cuong (Ho Chi Minh City Police Club)... If these players play well in the V-League in the near future, HKV Kim Sang-sik will give them a chance.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/u23-viet-nam-se-manh-hon-nua-nho-nhung-nhan-to-it-ai-ngo-toi-do-la-18525091115002115.htm