The Vietnamese national team has officially gathered and started the preparation phase for the ASEAN Cup 2026.
Today (June 23), on the first working day, Chairman of the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) Tran Quoc Tuan had a meeting with the whole team to encourage the spirit and assign tasks to coach Kim Sang-sik and his team.
Chairman Tran Quoc Tuan sent greetings to 3 faces who were called up to the national team for the first time, including goalkeeper Patrik Le Giang, Nguyen Tai Loc (Geovane) and Ngo Dang Khoa (Khoa Ngo). He expects the new players to quickly adapt to the national team environment and prove their ability in the near future.
The key goal mentioned by VFF leaders is to defend the ASEAN Cup 2026 championship. According to Chairman Tran Quoc Tuan's assessment, this will be a big challenge as many opponents in the region are increasing investment and significantly improving professional quality. Therefore, the Vietnamese team needs to maintain focus, determination and have the best preparation for the tournament.
Besides immediate tasks, VFF also aims for long-term goals such as the 2027 Asian Cup finals in Saudi Arabia and the 2030 World Cup qualifying campaigns.
VFF leaders highly appreciate the role of experienced players such as Do Duy Manh, Nguyen Quang Hai, Nguyen Hoang Duc, Dang Van Lam or Doan Van Hau, and expect new factors to add depth to the squad.
Chairman Tran Quoc Tuan also said that Vietnamese football continues to receive attention from management levels, thereby creating more favorable conditions for facilities and training environments for national teams. He requested the whole team to maintain professionalism, comply with the regulations of the coaching staff and focus maximally on professional tasks.
On behalf of the Vietnamese team, captain Do Duy Manh thanked the VFF leadership for their concern, affirming that the whole team will strive to practice, maintain the spirit of solidarity and aim to complete the goals set out in the coming time.
According to the plan, the Vietnamese team will train in Hanoi until July 1 before going to South Korea for training from July 2 to July 14. During this time, coach Kim Sang-sik and his team will play 3 friendly matches with suitable "sparring partners" to review forces and improve expertise.
After that, the team will return to Hanoi to continue training to prepare for the international friendly match with Myanmar on July 18 at Thai Nguyen Stadium. This will be the final step before the ASEAN Cup 2026.
