Determination of U22 Vietnam
Right after the end of the 2024 ASEAN Cup, coach Kim Sang-sik immediately started a new round. He and his colleagues actively attended V.League and National First Division matches.
We want to find new factors and young talents, because the 33rd SEA Games is one of two important goals that Vietnamese teams are aiming for in 2025, the Korean coach shared at the beginning of the year.
Regarding the criteria assigned by the Vietnam Football Federation to Mr. Kim Sang-Sik and U22 Vietnam, VFF Chairman Tran Quoc Tuan emphasized: "U22 Vietnam will be created maximum conditions for training and friendly trains, in order to have the best preparation for the SEA Games 33 at the end of 2025.
After Indonesia won the throne at the Congress 2 years ago, the recovery of the SEA Games gold medal was the goal and desire of Mr. Kim and the Vietnamese players 2003-2005.
Up to now, U22 Vietnam has gone through 2 training sessions in September 2024 and mid-March 2025. Notably, in both training sessions, Mr. Dinh Hong Vinh and his team all went to China to compete in a friendly tournament with a total of 6 matches against strong opponents in the Asian region. Of which, U22 Vietnam has faced U22 China (losed 1-2 and drew 1-1), Uzbekistan (losed 0-2 and drew 0-0), Malaysia (won 2-1) and South Korea ( drew 1-1).
The whole team has improved their game control, maintained their focus and improved the coordination in the tactical system. These will be very important in the preparation for the U23 Asian qualifiers and the 33rd SEA Games, said Mr. Dinh Hong Vinh.
A promising force
Through 2 training sessions and friendly matches, the U22 Vietnam coaching staff has gradually selected qualified players to aim for the 33rd SEA Games taking place at the end of the year.
Goalkeeper Cao Van Binh (Song Lam Nghe An), central defender Nguyen Nhat Minh (Hai Phong), midfielder Nguyen Le Phat (PVF) or especially the overseas Vietnamese factor - Viktor Le (Hong Linh Ha Tinh) continuously score points with experts and fans. Meanwhile, the players who have competed at U20 Vietnam such as Nguyen Van Truong (Hanoi), Nguyen Quoc Viet (Hoang Anh Gia Lai), Nguyen Thanh Nhan (PVF-CAND) have more opportunities to prove themselves in the national youth team.
The U22 Vietnam squad also has players who have been promoted to the national team early such as Tran Trung Kien, Pham Ly Duc (Hoang Anh Gia Lai), Khuat Van Khang (The Cong Viettel), Nguyen Thai Son (Thanh Hoa). Two other names are also waiting for the moment to shine, Nguyen Dinh Bac (Hanoi Police) and Dang Tuan Phong (The Cong Viettel).
The most regrettable case is Bui Vi Hao, who was seriously injured and will be out of action until the end of 2025. However, the coaching staff can still trust other faces in the attack, when Quoc Viet, Thanh Nhan, Viktor Le have been showing their abilities well from the club level to the youth team.
The players have really improved with each match, with each training session. They showed confidence. This is a premise for U22 Vietnam to develop, aiming for big goals ahead, said Acting head coach Dinh Hong Vinh.
This June, U22 Vietnam will continue to gather. A month later, the team continued to participate in the U22 Southeast Asian Cup in Indonesia before competing in the U23 Asian qualifiers at home. These will be the fronts that help Viktor Le and his teammates improve and understand each other better. On that basis, when returning to lead U22 Vietnam, coach Kim Sang-sik has more hope to conquer the SEA Games Gold medal right in Thailand.
