The U23 Vietnam team closed their journey at the 2026 AFC U23 Championship with a bronze medal. The imprint in the continental arena opened up opportunities in the national team for Van Khang and his teammates, when coach (HLV) Kim Sang-sik gave the "green light" for his students.
The success at SEA Games 33 and the 2026 AFC U23 Championship finals has brought great confidence to the current generation of players. They have proven that they not only play well in Southeast Asia, but also have enough bravery to compete in Asia.
This will be the basis for many players to advance to the national team in the coming time. Names like Dinh Bac, Van Khang, Thai Son, Phi Hoang, Ly Duc, Hieu Minh, Nhat Minh... are all considered to have great potential and need to continue to develop in the club environment to be ready for higher tasks," the Korean strategist affirmed.
Of course, it is not after the 2026 AFC U23 Championship Finals that Van Khang, Dinh Bac, Thai Son... have the opportunity to join the national team. But before that, they have also held onto the responsibility in the Vietnamese national team many times, but most of them played the role of "supporting actors".
What Mr. Kim wants is that his young players will have progress, development and further elevate themselves to become pillars of the national team in the coming time.
In the context that many pillars in the Vietnamese national team have also passed their peak period, creating inheritance to build a team that always maintains stability in both experience and youth is necessary.
But bringing U23 Vietnam players to the national team in a massive way is not really necessary at this time. Because the success of young players in a tournament is not necessarily a measure to assess stability and class. The national team level is completely different.
In the immediate future, the Vietnamese team will gather to prepare for the match against Malaysia in the Asian Cup 2027 Qualifiers on March 31st. It is likely that the Korean strategist will also give background to a few faces of U23 Vietnam.
Further, the ASEAN Cup 2026 campaign taking place in July will also be an opportunity for the names of U23 Vietnam to participate in the Vietnamese national team.
