Two brand new faces
In fact, there are only two brand new players joining the Vietnam national team for the first time in their careers: goalkeeper Tran Trung Kien and striker Nguyen Quoc Viet. Both Hoang Anh Gia Lai players have been given the opportunity by coach Kim Sang-sik to be in the squad for the international friendly match against India on October 12.
With Trung Kien, the 21-year-old goalkeeper has played all 4 matches at the beginning of the 2024-2025 V.League season, with 3 clean sheets. In the recent match against Da Nang, Trung Kien made an indirect mistake that caused the team from the mountain town to receive a penalty. But he was the one who successfully blocked the opponent's 11m shot.
Meanwhile, Quoc Viet did not have a promising performance like his teammates in V.League 2024-2025. However, he is expected to bring a new wind to the Vietnamese team's attack.
The Hai Phong-born player was once considered the "King of Youth Tournaments" in both national and regional competitions, including the Top Scorer of the 2022 Southeast Asian U19 Tournament (5 goals), the Top Scorer of the national U17, U19 and U21 tournaments from 2019-2021.
Although his physique is not ideal, Quoc Viet has sharp finishing, intelligent thinking and moves without the ball. Coach Kim Sang-sik wants to see the 21-year-old striker show more of himself when he joins the Vietnam national team this time.
New bottle, old wine
In addition to the two new players, coach Kim Sang-sik also called back some veterans, but this was the first time working with him on the Vietnam national team. The 1-month period with the V.League rotation helped Mr. Kim have more material to add to the national team, namely Nguyen Van Quyet (Hanoi), Chau Ngoc Quang (Hoang Anh Gia Lai), Nguyen Dinh Bac (Hanoi Police) and Le Pham Thanh Long (Hanoi Police).
Originally, the 4 players mentioned above had time to practice and compete for the Vietnam team under their predecessors Park Hang-seo (Van Quyet, Ngoc Quang) or Philippe Troussier (Dinh Bac, Thanh Long and partly Van Quyet).
Based on the data from their previous matches in the national team, plus their performance in the V.League, Mr. Kim has the right to expect the integration and contribution of these factors to the team and the playing style he builds.
For Van Quyet, this is not the first time he has been called up to the Vietnam national team. However, since the AFF Cup 2018 until now, the role of the striker born in 1991 in the national team has been much more obscure compared to the leadership mark he made at the Hanoi club.
Perhaps, coach Kim Sang-sik wants to promote Van Quyet's leadership qualities when he returns to the Vietnam team. In addition, Van Quyet's impressive ability to keep the ball and pass between the two lines is also what the Korean coach wants him to promote when he returns.
Chau Ngoc Quang and Le Pham Thanh Long are not unfamiliar names. Ngoc Quang's high performance in Hoang Anh Gia Lai's shirt helped him catch the eye of Mr. Kim. In the context of the Vietnamese team's midfield lacking the explosive ability to run into space, creating breakthroughs with high-speed pressing, Ngoc Quang will be the "spice" that brings something new.
On the other hand, Mr. Kim also wants to add a defensive midfielder. The appearance of Thanh Long is proof of that. When Hoang Duc, Van Truong or Hung Dung tend to play technically, focusing on recovering the ball, a "sweeper" ready to plow the midfield with tackles and disputes like Thanh Long is the necessary difference.
Finally, Dinh Bac has returned to the Vietnam national team. After a period of injury treatment, the young striker has returned to competition and regained his confidence and courage. This is also a necessary preparation for a further journey in the future.
In addition to the story of the 2025 SEA Games taking place at the end of next year in Thailand, young faces like Dinh Bac, Thai Son, and Van Khang are also the future of the country's football.
Like Philippe Troussier, coach Kim Sang Sik is ready to nurture them through these training sessions.
