There is no shortage of young Vietnamese players, just waiting for Mr. Kim Sang-sik to show his talent.

In 2025, besides the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers at the national team level, coach Kim Sang-sik's biggest goal is to lead U.22 Vietnam to win the 33rd SEA Games gold medal in Thailand next December.

Mr. Kim has reason to be happy.

Looking at the list and composition of the players who just won the AFF Cup 2024, it is clear that the number of young players old enough to compete in the 33rd SEA Games is too small. For example, apart from goalkeeper Tran Trung Kien (21 years old) who did not play in any matches, the only players who are usually allowed to play officially are Bui Vi Hao and Khuat Van Khang (both 21 years old). However, when looking at the list of young players old enough to compete in the 33rd SEA Games who are currently playing in the 2024 - 2025 V-League, perhaps Mr. Kim Sang-sik is very happy, because Vietnamese football does not lack young talents with experience in battle.

Bui Vi Hao ( right ) plays regularly for Binh Duong Club in V-League.

Photo: Kha Hoa

The young players who have played the most in the V-League this season include midfielder Nguyen Thai Son (21 years old) of Thanh Hoa team with 11/11 matches and 1 goal. Next is striker Bui Vi Hao who has played in 10/11 matches, central defender Pham Ly Duc (21 years old) of HAGL club and defender Phan Ngoc Tin (20 years old) of Binh Dinh both have played in 10 matches. Players who have played 9 times include Khuat Van Khang, Nguyen Van Truong (Hanoi Club, 21 years old), goalkeeper Tran Trung Kien (HAGL), midfielder Dinh Xuan Tien (SLNA, 22 years old), Nguyen Dinh Bac (CAHN, 20 years old, scored 1 goal)... In particular, there are players who are only 18 years old but have also played 5-6 matches in V-League such as midfielder Le Dinh Long Vu and defender Phan Van Thanh (both from SLNA), or midfielder Nguyen Cong Phuong (The Cong Viettel ), in which Long Vu and Cong Phuong are excellent players who have been familiar with the U.17 and U.19 Vietnam teams participating in international tournaments.

The good news about these young players is that in addition to playing a lot, they also have quite good physiques, such as goalkeeper Tran Trung Kien who is 1.91 m tall, or central defender Pham Ly Duc who is 1.81 m tall, midfielder Nguyen Van Truong who is 1.84 m tall, striker Bui Vi Hao who is 1.8 m tall, Nguyen Dinh Bac who is 1.78 m tall...

This shows that V-League clubs have focused more on using young players. This not only helps clubs build a force of successor players but also helps Vietnamese football build a solid foundation. If the teams in V-League and the first division continue this plan, coach Kim Sang-sik will certainly have a source of quality "powder" to make "glue", bringing success in international tournaments for Vietnamese football in the future.

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Not only domestic players, some young overseas Vietnamese players have also been noticed recently. Typically, Russian-Vietnamese midfielder Viktor Le (21 years old) also played 8 matches and scored 1 goal in the V-League in the Ha Tinh team's shirt. Before returning to Vietnam, Viktor Le was trained at the famous CSKA Moscow academy and now has Vietnamese nationality. Previously, the midfielder born in 2003 played as a foreign player of Vietnamese origin. Along with Viktor Le, Andrej Nguyen An Khanh is a very notable name. This Czech-Vietnamese player is playing for FK Trinec, a team in the Czech Republic's second division. Andrej was once called up to the U.23 Vietnam team under coach Philippe Troussier and quickly impressed with his strong fighting ability and modern tactical thinking. Calling up overseas Vietnamese players like Viktor Le or Andrej Nguyen An Khanh is considered part of coach Kim Sang-sik's strategy to improve Vietnamese youth football.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/cau-thu-tre-viet-nam-khong-thieu-chi-cho-ong-kim-sang-sik-tro-tai-185250122214946219.htm