U23 Vietnam has a good run, is it strong enough to reclaim the SEA Games gold medal?

Although admitting that U23 Vietnam still has some points that need improvement, coach Kim Sang Sik is somewhat confident in his goal of conquering the SEA Games 33 gold medal.

The run-up to score points

Vietnam U23 finished the 2026 AFC U23 Championship qualifying round with 3 wins, scoring 4 goals and conceding none. Winning a ticket to the continental tournament finals with the top spot in the group, coach Kim Sang Sik's team affirmed their position, in the context of regional teams such as Indonesia and Malaysia missing out.

Strictly speaking, the performance of U23 Vietnam in the recent Asian qualifiers was only average. In the group of U23 Vietnam, apart from U23 Yemen which is difficult to play, U23 Bangladesh and U23 Singapore are both of average quality, if not weak.

However, the good thing about coach Kim Sang Sik is the rotation of players in each specific match. And, no matter how the changes are made, U23 Vietnam still achieves the goal: 3 points/match!

U23 Vietnam completed the set goal. Photo: SN

In each of the 3 matches, U23 Vietnam played with a different starting lineup. In the match against U23 Yemen, coach Kim Sang Sik even decided to replace 3 players in the first half.

The four goals of U23 Vietnam came from four different players, and were all the result of deliberate, well-rehearsed moves. The scorers were Nguyen Ngoc My, Le Viktor (won U23 Bangladesh 2-0), Le Van Thuan (won U23 Singapore 1-0) and Nguyen Thanh Nhan (won U23 Yemen 1-0) who are not very prominent names.

Coach Kim Sang Sik is building a generation of players with uniformity in playing style and roles. U23 Vietnam has no star player, and any player can take on an important task.

Although coach Kim Sang Sik's team still has limitations in finishing or the ability to put pressure on the opponent's defense. But basically, Dinh Bac and his teammates show maturity and progress, some faces are expected to be the future of Vietnamese football.

Coach Kim Sang Sik "has a cool hand"

Since working in Vietnam, apart from the 0-4 defeat against Malaysia with a team of all naturalized players, coach Kim Sang Sik has achieved many successes, even surpassing his predecessor Park Hang Seo.

In just one year, the Korean strategist led both the national team and the U23 team to win the Southeast Asian championship, becoming the first coach in the region to do so.

Thanh Nhan and her teammates confidently look forward to SEA Games 33. Photo: SN

With the 2026 AFC U23 qualifiers, although U23 Vietnam did not have a resounding victory, that was enough. The important thing is that coach Kim Sang Sik achieved many goals at the same time: winning 3 points, no injuries, discovering new factors...

The "lucky hand" of the coach born in 1976 does not come naturally, but comes from his coaching ability, understanding of Vietnamese football, Vietnamese players, and luck.

According to expert Phan Anh Tu, under coach Kim Sang Sik, the teams play pragmatically. Even though they don't have spectacular matches, the important thing is to win.

The run-up of U23 Vietnam with the 2025 Southeast Asian championship title and a ticket to the 2026 AFC U23 Championship finals is the basis for fans to put their faith in the conquest of the 33rd SEA Games gold medal taking place next December.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/u23-viet-nam-chay-da-on-du-suc-doi-lai-hcv-sea-games-2441241.html