According to the latest information, midfielder Nguyen Cong Phuong cannot participate with U23 Vietnam in ASIAD 2026 due to injury. Hoang Quang Dung was additionally called up to replace this player's position in the national team list.
This is the second time, U23 Vietnam has made personnel changes in the process of preparing for ASIAD 2026. Previously, goalkeeper Nguyen Bao Ngoc was added to replace Pham Dinh Hai because the managing team needed to keep people to ensure the force to compete in the National Cup.
In the case of Cong Phuong, he is considered one of the faces with international competition experience at all levels of the Vietnamese youth team.
The person chosen to replace him is Hoang Quang Dung, a midfielder currently playing for Hue club. This player used to play alongside Cong Phuong in the U19 Vietnam jersey at the 2024 U19 Southeast Asian Championship in Indonesia.
At that year's tournament, Quang Dung scored 3 goals, all from shots from outside the penalty area. The ability to shoot from distance is considered a strength of the Hue club midfielder.
The call-up of Quang Dung helps U23 Vietnam add a plan in the midfield in the context that the preparation time for ASIAD 2026 is not much left. For this midfielder personally, this is also an opportunity for him to accumulate more international competition experience in continental playgrounds.
Thus, the U23 Vietnam force is continuously adjusted right before the gathering day. Previously, the team was expected to gather on September 12 and depart for Japan on September 13 to prepare for ASIAD 2026.
At the tournament, U23 Vietnam is in Group C with Uzbekistan, Philippines and Kuwait. The team faces Kuwait on September 15, the Philippines on September 18 and Uzbekistan on September 22.
