U23 Vietnam received a certificate of merit from the Prime Minister

U23 Việt Nam nhận bằng khen của Thủ tướng Chính phủ - Ảnh 1. — Minister and Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism presented certificates of merit from the Prime Minister to members of U23 Vietnam - Photo: NGOC LE

Attending the ceremony were Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) Nguyen Van Hung, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Hoang Dao Cuong, representatives of the Vietnam Olympic Committee, the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) and some representatives of the U23 Vietnam team.

At the ceremony, Minister Nguyen Van Hung, on behalf of the Prime Minister , presented certificates of merit to the U23 Vietnam team (including 24 members) in recognition of the team's contributions and dedication after winning the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Championship.

The Minister also represented the Vietnam Olympic Committee to award 500 million VND in cash to the Vietnam U23 team.

"With determination and strong will, combined with careful training and preparation, U23 Vietnam won the 2025 Southeast Asian Championship. This victory created a widespread effect of solidarity in society, while also bringing confidence in the success of youth football in the country.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism would like to sincerely thank the coaching staff and players for their valuable contributions to this victory," Mr. Hung shared.

On the VFF side, President Tran Quoc Tuan expressed his gratitude for the thoughtful attention of the leaders of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. At the same time, he promised to continue to prepare well for the U23 Vietnam team towards the next two important arenas this year: the U23 Asian qualifiers and the SEA Games.

"The 2025 U23 Southeast Asian Championship is a great encouragement for young Vietnamese players. Especially in the context of mass naturalization among Southeast Asian countries, and we still maintain the policy of building a national team with national identity," said Mr. Tuan.

On behalf of U23 Vietnam, Head Coach Kim Sang Sik expressed his honor and thanked the leaders of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism as well as the VFF for their interest, trust and support for the teams over the past time. Mr. Kim also promised to continue to research and prepare the best tactics to help the team increase its competitiveness in the coming time.

After the honoring ceremony, U23 Vietnam officially released the players to return to their home clubs. Coach Kim Sang Sik will have a short vacation with his family. After that, he will return to his work of analyzing V-League and First Division matches in the 2025-2026 season, to observe and select personnel for the national teams.