U23 Vietnam is closely monitoring the health condition of striker Bui Vi Hao in the final stage of preparation for the opening match at the 2026 AFC U23 Championship finals.
In the training session taking place this afternoon (January 4) in Saudi Arabia, the striker born in 2003 could not complete the lesson plan due to a problem with his right ankle.
According to records, Vi Hao felt pain right from the warm-up and soon reported back to the coaching staff. After being quickly checked by the medical team, coach Kim Sang-sik decided to let this striker leave the field to avoid risks. Having to stop training made Vi Hao clearly express disappointment when leaving the training area.
This is information that worries the coaching staff, because the player under Becamex HCMC once had a long period of treatment for a ligament injury in his right ankle. Previously, Vi Hao had been out for about 8 months and had only reappeared in the U22 Vietnam jersey at the Panda Cup 2025. After this tournament, he continued to be given conditions to recover and could not participate in SEA Games 33.
The recurrence of the ankle problem just 2 days before the match against U23 Jordan may affect the personnel plan in the attack. Currently, the team's doctors are conducting detailed assessments to determine the extent of the injury, and are waiting for the player's reaction in the next training sessions.
In the case of Vi Hao, U23 Vietnam also faced the risk of force shortage when Thanh Nhan suffered a thigh injury. However, the striker under the PVF-CAND payroll has made positive progress and is registered in the final round qualifying list.
In the opposite direction, Nguyen Le Phat was not named in the list sent to AFC recently. If there were no changes at the last minute, the options in the current U23 Vietnam attack line would include Thanh Nhan, Vi Hao, Quoc Viet and Ngoc My.
