October 2025 marks the third training session of U23 Vietnam in 2025. This is also a particularly important time in the preparation journey for the 33rd SEA Games of coach Kim Sang-sik and his team. However, at present, the Vietnam team also has two matches against Nepal in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers.
Therefore, the Korean coach decided to bring a series of U23 players to compete for the national team. Dinh Bac, Van Khang, Xuan Bac, Hieu Minh, Nhat Minh, Thanh Nhan... all have the opportunity to contribute to the Vietnam national team. The void they left in the U23 team will be replaced by many other names.
In particular, U23 Vietnam called up many overseas Vietnamese players such as Vadim Nguyen (Da Nang), Viktor Le (Hong Linh Ha Tinh) and Tran Thanh Trung (Ninh Binh). It is very rare for a young Vietnamese team to own many stars trained abroad.
Of course, the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) as well as Mr. Kim Sang-sik have high expectations for overseas Vietnamese resources. With the generation of players who are regularly playing in the V.League, Mr. Kim hopes to build a solid and effective framework for U23 Vietnam before the 33rd SEA Games.
With a squad of players who are not sure of their positions such as Van Ha, Bao Long, Van Binh, Quang Kiet, Tuan Phong or Thanh Dat, Nam Hai..., they must prove their abilities. The friendly matches with U23 Qatar are considered a decisive challenge for coach Kim Sang-sik to screen once again to make a preliminary list for the 33rd SEA Games.
Through recent training sessions, U23 Vietnam showed great desire. Many people have never participated in the SEA Games, so this tournament is no different from a big dream for them. Competition also helps improve the quality of training sessions.
Responding to Lao Dong newspaper, Mr. Hoang Thanh Tung - Technical Director of Thanh Hoa club - commented: "Our team contributed young players to U23 Vietnam. However, I think there are still many other players who are still playing regularly in the V.League. For young players, playing regularly in top-notch environments is especially important."
According to Mr. Tung, the resources of overseas Vietnamese players also brought unique breakthroughs to U23 Vietnam. These players have a good foundation, but not everyone is superior to their domestic counterparts.
"System safety is the most important thing. U23 Vietnam has shown its effectiveness in recent times. If we can assemble an optimal framework based on this material, I believe U23 Vietnam can make a difference," Mr. Tung added.
