U23 Vietnam started smoothly at the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Championship with a 3-0 victory over U23 Laos. One of the bright spots in the match was the performance of Nguyen Hieu Minh - a central defender of PVF-CAND club.
Not only was he solid in defense, Hieu Minh also directly scored a double against the Laos U23 net and was honored as "Best Player of the match".
Talking to a reporter from Lao Dong newspaper, the midfielder born in 2004 could not hide her joy: "I am really happy to be able to score and contribute to bringing victory to U23 Vietnam.
My fighting spirit and the whole team were supported by fans in the stands as well as the audience to cheer for the team through the small screen. Even if they win, the team still needs to maintain the highest concentration to aim for the goals ahead".
Debuting in the professional arena at the age of 17 in the PVF-CAND club shirt (old Hanoi Street), Hieu Minh has shown his remarkable progress.
In the 2024-2025 season, the 21-year-old central defender played a total of 1501 minutes - the 3rd most of any PVF-CAND player. Stable performance throughout the season helped Hieu Minh be on the list of outstanding squads and win the title of "Best Young Player" of the First Division.
Previously, this player also impressed with a goal against Malaysia U22 at the CFA Team China 2024 international friendly tournament held in September 2024.
With a height of 1m85 and good judgment, Nguyen Hieu Minh is expected to continue to be a solid blocker, contributing to the completion of the goal of defending the throne at this year's tournament with U23 Vietnam.
