Chinese media reports: "We didn't expect the Vietnamese U23 team to improve so quickly."

At 10:30 PM today (January 20th), the Vietnam U23 team will face the China U23 team in the semi-final of the AFC U23 Asian Championship in Saudi Arabia. Ahead of this match, the Chinese media has paid special attention to the Vietnam U23 team.

Chinese newspaper:

Vietnam U23 team made a strong impression at the 2026 AFC U23 Asian Championship (Photo: AFC).

This morning, Titan Sport published an article about the strength of Coach Kim Sang Sik's team. The newspaper stated that the Vietnam U23 team has made rapid progress and received significant assistance from the temporary suspension of the national championship to allow the "Golden Star Warriors" to perform at their best in the U23 Asian Championship.

A Chinese newspaper published an article titled: "The rise of Vietnamese football. The entire football scene is playing on the same chessboard."

The author wrote: “The Vietnam U23 team is receiving special attention as the only team to have won all four matches in the U23 Asian Championship. This is the second time since the 2018 U23 Asian Championship that Vietnam has reached the top four. We were all surprised that the Vietnamese players have improved so significantly and possess such good technique.”

Perhaps not many people notice this fact. Countries like China, Japan, South Korea, Uzbekistan, etc., still use a calendar-based competition system, so once their domestic leagues have ended, the U23 team's training camp does not conflict with their clubs' schedules. In contrast, among the countries that use a two-year calendar, the Vietnam U23 team is the only one that has been given the opportunity to completely halt their national championships.

Furthermore, this suspension is not limited to the 2026 U23 Asian Championship. As early as the beginning of November last year, the V-League had to be postponed because the Vietnam U23 team traveled to Chengdu (China) to participate in the Panda Cup and then the SEA Games.

In other words, among the 16 teams participating in the U23 Asian Championship, the Vietnam U23 team had the longest preparation time and the most comprehensive support. This also gave the team enough time to hone and perfect their tactics and techniques.

As early as May 2025, when the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) and the organizing committees of its affiliated tournaments discussed the schedule for the 2025/2026 season, the VFF clearly stated that because the Vietnam U23 team had to participate in the men's football event at the 33rd SEA Games in December 2025, as well as the U23 Asian Championship held in Saudi Arabia in January 2026, the VFF wished for domestic tournaments to be temporarily suspended from November 2025 until the end of the U23 Asian Championship.

Chinese media reports:

Vietnam U23 team is well-prepared ahead of the AFC U23 Asian Championship (Photo: AFC).

The total suspension is expected to last around 80 days, and the domestic league will only restart after the U23 team completes its entire journey in the AFC U23 Asian Championship.

According to our research, almost all professional clubs expressed their support as soon as the VFF (Vietnam Football Federation) put forward this proposal. The common view is that only when the Vietnamese national teams achieve good results in regional and continental tournaments can Vietnamese football truly demonstrate progress and development.

The Vietnam U23 team had two training camps before the U23 Asian Championship. Besides participating in the Panda Cup in China, the team also had a training camp in Qatar after the SEA Games concluded. Thanks to this thorough preparation, the Vietnam U23 team has shown strong progress. They are now on the verge of making new history.”

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/bao-trung-quoc-khong-ngo-u23-viet-nam-tien-bo-nhanh-nhu-vay-20260120101051905.htm