The Vietnamese women's team is expected to gather in Hanoi from August 7 to prepare for women's football at ASIAD 2026, taking place in Aichi and Nagoya (Japan) in September.
According to the plan, coach Hoang Van Phuc and his team will train in China from August 31st to September 11th. During this time, the team will play two friendly matches to review the force and improve the playing style before leaving for Japan on September 12th.
However, before the announcement of the gathering list, the coaching staff received unwanted information when defender Tran Thi Duyen suffered a severed right knee ligament and will have to undergo surgery. The injury makes the defender born in 2000 definitely absent from ASIAD 2026.
Tran Thi Duyen suffered an injury in the match between Phong Phu Ha Nam and Thai Nguyen T&T in round 8 of the National Women's Football Championship - Thai Son Bac Cup 2026 taking place on July 24.
This is the second time in her career that the player from Ha Nam has suffered a serious knee injury. Previously, in 2019, she had to be sidelined for nearly 9 months for treatment and recovery before returning to the pitch.
The absence of Tran Thi Duyen is a significant loss for the Vietnamese women's team. The 26-year-old defender is one of the experienced faces in defense, participated in ASIAD 2023 and contributed to helping the Vietnamese women's team win a silver medal at SEA Games 33.
In the context that the national championship still has two rounds before a break after round 10 on August 3, the coaching staff will continue to monitor the players' performance to choose a suitable replacement for Tran Thi Duyen.
At ASIAD 2026, the Vietnamese women's team is in Group A with host and defending champion Japan, Taiwan (China) and Thailand. Women's football starts from September 14, before the opening ceremony of the congress, with 12 teams divided into 3 groups. The first and second place teams in each group and the two third place teams with the best results will qualify for the quarter-finals.
