Force distribution
U23 Vietnam will depart for Japan on September 13th and start playing in the ASIAD group stage from September 15th. Meanwhile, the Vietnamese national team is expected to gather after the National Cup (September 20th) to prepare for the FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026 taking place from September 26th to October 6th in Indonesia.
The Vietnamese team has 3 players of sufficient age to participate in ASIAD 20 but did not participate in the team going to Japan, namely Nguyen Dinh Bac, Nguyen Nhat Minh and Tran Trung Kien, because they continued to be selected for the FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026. They are all faces who contributed to the journey to defend the ASEAN Cup championship not long ago.
In which, striker Dinh Bac is one of the outstanding factors when scoring 5 goals, winning the Golden Boot title and the Best Player award. Form and ability to create breakthroughs help Dinh Bac become an important option in Mr. Kim Sang-sik's playing style.
Dinh Bac's failure to participate in ASIAD requires U23 Vietnam to prepare for attacking plans. Therefore, coach Dinh Hong Vinh has chosen other names such as: Nguyen Ngoc My, Nguyen Le Phat, Nguyen Quoc Viet or Nguyen Thanh Nhan. These are all players who have participated in the U23 Southeast Asian championship, won the SEA Games 33 Gold Medal, U23 Asian Championship Bronze Medal and are capable of undertaking different tasks in attack.
Similarly, goalkeeper Tran Trung Kien's gathering with the national team means that U23 Vietnam must be proactive in personnel. Goalkeeper Cao Van Binh is likely to occupy the number one position in goal because he has experience playing at international youth levels and has regularly started in the V.League recently.
Coach Dinh Hong Vinh's advantage is that he had time to build forces and test many tactical options in previous training sessions. The fact that some players were promoted to the national team also opens up opportunities for other faces to compete for positions in U23 Vietnam.
At ASIAD 20, U23 Vietnam is in Group C with the Philippines, Kuwait and Uzbekistan. This is a relatively favorable group, creating conditions for coach Dinh Hong Vinh and his team to aim for the immediate goal of passing the group stage. U23 Vietnam needs to soon achieve a good result against the Philippines and Kuwait, before facing Uzbekistan in an important match.
Vietnam national team proactively adjusts
The national team also needs to consider when some players who are in Mr. Kim Sang-sik's plan have returned to U23 Vietnam to participate in ASIAD 20.
Striker Nguyen Ngoc My and center-back Dinh Quang Kiet have just participated in the ASEAN Cup with the Vietnamese national team. These two players mainly play the role of strategic reserves, while creating more competition and internal squads in training sessions. Their presence helps the coaching staff have more choices in terms of personnel and tactical arrangement.
When Ngoc My and Quang Kiet return to U23 Vietnam, the national team needs to make corresponding adjustments. Mr. Kim Sang-sik and his colleagues have actively attended some matches in the V.League and still have enough time to continue checking in the next 2 rounds to choose suitable replacements.
At FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026, the Vietnamese national team is in the same group as Thailand, Philippines and Pakistan. The team's goal is to be at the top of the group to win the right to the final. Thailand is considered the biggest opponent when they want to avenge their defeat to Vietnam at the recent ASEAN Cup.
Notably, the Golden Temple team will have a stronger force than the ASEAN Cup when key players are fully called up during FIFA Days. Therefore, coach Kim Sang-sik's preparation plays an important role, in which personnel addition is the first step for the Vietnamese team to maintain the depth of the squad.
