The 'dark horse' from the youth squad.

The qualifying rounds for the South Central and Central Highlands regions of the 3rd Vietnam Youth and Student Football Tournament - 2025 THACO Cup will take place from January 10th to 18th, 2025 at Nha Trang University Stadium (Khanh Hoa). Six student teams will participate in this region: Nha Trang University, Khanh Hoa University, Nha Trang Tourism College, Pacific University, Quy Nhon University, and Da Lat University. The teams will compete in a round-robin format to select four teams for the semi-finals and finals. The winning team will advance to the finals held in Ho Chi Minh City.

Nha Trang University football field - the venue for the qualifying rounds of the 3rd Vietnam Youth and Student Football Tournament - 2025 THACO Cup.

Speaking to Thanh Nien newspaper , coach Nguyen Anh Tu said that despite the rainy weather in Nha Trang in recent days, the team has still tried to train and have had beneficial friendly matches. Because this year's squad has undergone many changes and is being rejuvenated, the students need more time to train together to build cohesion. Coming into the new season, with the support of the Party Committee, the Board of Directors of Nha Trang University, and the leadership of the Physical Education department, the team aims for sustainable development and to uphold the school's sporting tradition with a young squad.

This innovation is inspired by the two successful seasons of the Vietnam Youth and Student Football Tournament organized by Thanh Nien Newspaper, which yielded many positive effects. The university leadership has outlined future directions for sustainable development of student football, with a vision extending to 2030, hoping that Nha Trang University will become a strong team in the South Central and Central Highlands regions. This is also a key requirement of the sports development plan in the province for the new phase, linked to the implementation of Resolution No. 09 of the Politburo on building and developing Khanh Hoa province until 2030, with a vision to 2045.

The coaching staff of Nha Trang University is recruiting new students to create a sustainable source for the development of student football.

It is known that the Nha Trang University team's registration list for the South Central and Central Highlands regional qualifiers - the 3rd Vietnam Youth and Student Football Tournament - 2025 THACO Cup includes 18 first-year and second-year students. These new students were selected through tests in ball juggling, dribbling, shooting, and teamwork, conducted by coach Nguyen Anh Tu and the coaching staff starting in October.

In addition, the Nha Trang University team roster still includes notable names such as Minh Hy, Minh Tuan, Quoc Khanh, Thanh Phuoc, and Hoang Duc, who previously played for the U.17 and U.19 teams of Khanh Hoa.

The home team, Nha Trang University, has the advantage of a large and enthusiastic fan base.

Although participating in the 3rd Vietnam Youth and Student Football Tournament - 2025 THACO Cup with a spirit of learning and gaining experience, without high expectations, the home team, Nha Trang University, with its freshness, youthfulness, and players who have trained together, will be an interesting dark horse in the South Central and Central Highlands regional qualifiers of the 3rd Vietnam Youth and Student Football Tournament - 2025 THACO Cup.

The qualifying round of the 3rd Vietnam Youth and Student Football Tournament - THACO Cup 2025 will feature 66 teams divided into 6 groups based on geographical regions, from December 28, 2024 to January 18, 2025. Specifically, these include: Northern region (December 30, 2024 - January 10, 2025 at the Water Resources University stadium); Central Coastal region (January 6 - 12, 2025 at the Military Region 5 stadium - Da Nang); South Central and Central Highlands region (January 10 - 18, 2025 at Nha Trang University stadium); and Southeast region (January 4 - 12, 2025 at Bau Thanh Stadium, Ba Ria - Vung Tau). The Southwestern region (January 8-17, 2025 at Can Tho Stadium) and the Ho Chi Minh City region (December 28, 2024 - January 15, 2025 at Ton Duc Thang University Stadium) will select 11 teams to compete in the final round of the tournament, along with the host team Ton Duc Thang University, from March 1-16, 2025.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/truong-dh-nha-trang-an-so-tu-doi-hinh-tre-185241210141955083.htm