The extremely strong left wing of the Vietnam team: All excellent players, coach Kim has plenty of options to choose from

The Vietnamese team currently has four classy and technical left wingers, including Cao Pendant Quang Vinh, Van Vi, Van Khang and Phi Hoang.

Quality wing corridor of Vietnam team

The presence of the U.23 squad helps the Vietnamese team increase its depth and competitiveness in all lines. In particular, the left wing is where coach Kim Sang-sik has a lot of good players.

The full-backs in Mr. Kim's hands include Cao Pendant Quang Vinh, Nguyen Van Vi, Khuat Van Khang and Nguyen Phi Hoang. In which, if Quang Vinh (born in 1997) and Van Vi (1996) both represent experience and maturity, Van Khang and Phi Hoang bring youth as both were born in 2003.

Cao Pendant Quang Vinh (red shirt) debuted for the Vietnamese national team in June

PHOTO: NGOC LINH

At the AFF Cup 2024, the excellent performance of Van Vi (a player discovered by coach Kim Sang-sik at the last minute to train) helped the Vietnamese team attack in a diverse way, creating impressive moves.

Van Vi also had a dream debut with a goal against Laos in the AFF Cup 2024, and then in March 2025, the 29-year-old defender scored against Cambodia (friendly) before continuing to score against Laos (Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers). He became a reliable explosive device, with a skillful left foot, and the ability to penetrate the penalty area to cross and finish effectively.

After that, coach Kim Sang-sik had the presence of Cao Pendant Quang Vinh, the highest-class player ever to wear the Vietnamese national team shirt. Quang Vinh used to play for the U.16 and U.18 France, and spent 8 years "rolling around" in Ligue 2 with Sochaux. With Vietnamese and French blood, Quang Vinh has endurance, flexibility and dexterity.

Quang Vinh debuted for the national team in June, and is still an important "main character" of the Hanoi Police Club, playing continuously in the V-League and international tournaments. If healthy, Quang Vinh is always the number one choice for both the club and the national team.

If Van Vi and Quang Vinh bring tenacity and steadfastness, the left-back duo Van Khang and Phi Hoang add ideas and necessary breakthroughs to the flank.

Van Khang (middle) is looking for a place in the Vietnamese national team.

PHOTO: DONG NGUYEN KHANG

Van Khang is too experienced for his U.23 age, when he debuted for the national team at the age of 19, setting a record of wearing the jerseys of 3 teams in just 1 year (2022).

The captain of U.23 Vietnam has 64 matches for The Cong Viettel and 12 matches for the Vietnam national team. Although he is not the number 1 choice on the left wing of the national team, Van Khang is the solution for the future.

Meanwhile, Phi Hoang is an interesting discovery of coach Kim Sang-sik in the U.23 Southeast Asia tournament and the Asian qualifiers. The left-back of Da Nang continuously stirs up trouble with his precise crosses and passes.

Phi Hoang has good attacking power when breaking through and shooting from afar is stable. Of course, Phi Hoang's limitation is that he has only played well in some youth matches, still needs time to show himself.

Coach Kim Sang-sik's calculations

With experience and youth combined, Coach Kim Sang-sik has an extremely strong left flank. The core point to operate the 3-center-back formation lies on the two wings, so it is possible to believe that the Korean strategist will build the Vietnam team with a comprehensive and versatile defensive appearance.

Except for Van Vi, who was tested by Mr. Kim in the midfielder role in past training sessions, the three runners Quang Vinh, Van Khang, and Phi Hoang can be used in rotation.

Young players are waiting for their chance

PHOTO: DONG NGUYEN KHANG

Quang Vinh is likely to start in the first leg against Nepal (October 9), as coach Kim Sang-sik needs a safe solution first. If the Vietnamese team has 3 points as capital, then in the rematch, young players like Van Khang and Phi Hoang will have a chance.

Most importantly, the U.23 players must meet the strict requirements of coach Kim in training sessions. These are the criteria of physical endurance (which Mr. Kim places great importance on for full-backs), good tracking, comprehensive attack and defense, and creativity in connecting the defenders, midfielders with the strikers.

Coach Kim Sang-sik always likes players who are persistent, hard-working and dedicated. Phi Hoang and Van Khang understand this, after more than a month of training with the Korean coach. When the flag is in their hands, the talented "left-wingers" of the Vietnamese team need to take full advantage.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/canh-trai-cuc-manh-cua-doi-tuyen-viet-nam-toan-hao-thu-thay-kim-tha-ho-chon-185251006103325793.htm