Message from Mr. Kim Sang Sik
13 players who won the ASEAN Cup 2024 with the Vietnamese national team are not named in coach Kim Sang-sik's plan towards the journey to defend the Southeast Asian crown in July. Two of them are names associated with the "Golden Star Warriors" since 2018 - Pham Tuan Hai and Nguyen Tien Linh.
At the tournament 2 years ago, Tien Linh was the 2nd best scorer of the Vietnamese team, after Nguyen Xuan Son. Meanwhile, Tuan Hai also shone right at the important moment of the second leg final in Thailand, contributing to bringing home the championship for the home team.
However, coach Kim does not choose the current squad based on past contributions. The message of the Korean coach is very clear, high-performing faces will be present in the national team.
Tuan Hai and Tien Linh also have to... blame themselves for not seizing the opportunity. Throughout 2025, the center forward position was originally lacking Xuan Son due to a long-term injury. However, this duo could not show good scoring efficiency. In the same period, the best scorer for the Vietnamese team was Nguyen Van Vi - a full-back.
In addition, Tuan Hai and Tien Linh's performance in the 2025-2026 season are both not good. At Hanoi FC, Tuan Hai only started in 9/25 V.League rounds with only 4 goals. Similarly, although he is the captain of Ho Chi Minh City Police, Tien Linh does not hold the main center forward position, with only 6 goals.
In contrast to that picture, Dinh Bac, Viet Cuong, Tai Loc (Geovane), Khoa Ngo (Ngo Dang Khoa), Hoang Hen all achieved higher form. Even Nguyen Xuan Son, who had a not-so-good season with Nam Dinh, was still able to make his mark in the final stage with "super products".
New face assembly
Coach Kim Sang-sik's personnel approach is supported. The important thing is how he will assemble new faces to create a dangerous attack for the Vietnamese team.
According to experts, Xuan Son, Hoang Hen and Dinh Bac are the optimal options. Although not achieving impressive scoring efficiency in Nam Dinh this season, Xuan Son is still very lucky in the Vietnamese team in each training camp.
Supporting Son are Dinh Bac and Hoang Hen, who have impressive performances at all levels. For Dinh Bac, he is having the most beautiful period of his career when continuously achieving success in the Hanoi Police or U23 Vietnam jerseys. Now is the time for the striker born in 2004 to show himself even more in the Vietnamese national team.
Meanwhile, Hoang Hen deserves to be one of the best players of the 2025-2026 season. Although not playing for Hanoi in phase 1, the naturalized player soon caught up to score 11 goals and 8 assists after 19 appearances.
In the Vietnamese team, he also had 1 assist in the match against Malaysia in the Asian Cup qualifiers. Besides, Hoang Hen also played well to create a powerful connection in the attack of the "Golden Star Warriors".
The "secondary" squad of the Vietnamese team is also not inferior. Ngo Dang Khoa was chosen by coach Kim Sang-sik thanks to his impressive short-range speed. This player can maneuver well in a narrow range, performing lightning sprints. This can be seen as a solution to fill the role left by Van Toan.
Meanwhile, Nguyen Tai Loc can be a quality backup card, equivalent to Hoang Hen. Even in finishing ability, this naturalized player is somewhat stronger and sharper.
It must be affirmed that the Vietnamese national team's attack possesses good players, enough for Mr. Kim Sang-sik to build a new squad. The important thing is how this strategist will integrate plans in the next 5 weeks of training to create a deep, experienced, diverse and classy depth.
