According to the schedule, coach Yutaka Ikeuchi and his team departed from Medan, transited in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) before arriving in Hanoi in the afternoon of the same day.
At the regional tournament, U19 Vietnam had a fairly positive performance in the group stage. The team started with a 3-0 victory over U19 Timor-Leste, then continued to overcome U19 Myanmar with a score of 5-0. However, a 1-2 defeat to host U19 Indonesia in the last match, with a penalty goal conceded in injury time, caused U19 Vietnam to only rank second in Group A and missed the opportunity to win a ticket to the semi-finals.
Although unable to go deep, the tournament in Indonesia is still considered an important warm-up step for U19 Vietnam in the process of preparing for the 2027 AFC U20 Championship qualifiers - the team's key goal this year.
After returning to the country, the players will return to their club to continue playing and perfecting their expertise. According to the plan, the team will gather again after the 2026 National U21 Championship closes, expected at the end of July, before leaving for training in Japan from August 8 to August 17.
The training trip is expected to help the coaching staff continue to review the force, improve professional quality and improve the playing style before entering the 2027 AFC U20 Championship qualifiers.
According to the draw results, U20 Vietnam is in Group C with U20 Iran, U20 DPRK and U20 Palestine. This is considered a difficult group when U20 Iran is one of the leading youth football nations in Asia, while U20 DPRK and U20 Palestine also possess a highly competitive playing style.
The 2027 AFC U20 Championship qualifiers will take place from August 31 to September 6 at Viet Tri Stadium (Phu Tho). With home advantage and early preparation, U20 Vietnam is expected to aim to win a ticket to participate in the continental finals.
