Coach Kim Sang-sik unexpectedly removed the Vietnamese-American midfielder from the Vietnam U22 team.

(NLDO) - Coach Kim Sang-sik announced the list of 26 players of the Vietnam U22 team for the training session to prepare for the 2025 CFA Team China Panda Cup International Friendly Tournament.

After finalizing the list of Vietnamese players to prepare for the FIFA Days in November 2025, Coach Kim Sang-sik also announced the players of the national U22 team to focus on the international football tournament CFA Team China Panda Cup 2025 and towards the 33rd SEA Games, taking place in Thailand in December 2025.

This is the strongest gathering of the Vietnam U22 team since the beginning of this year, with members selected through many training sessions and international competitions, including the key players who contributed to helping Vietnam U23 win the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Championship and win a ticket to the 2026 Asian U23 Finals.

In addition, young players who have just played for the Vietnamese national team in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers, such as goalkeeper Tran Trung Kien, Khuat Van Khang, Nguyen Dinh Bac, etc., have also been recalled to the U22 Vietnam team for training.

Young striker Bui Vi Hao

In the list of U22 Vietnam this time, the Korean strategist has recalled striker Bui Vi Hao - the player who has just gone through a long period of rest due to a serious injury since March 2025. In the early stages of V-League 2025-2026, Vi Hao was not on the list of players registered to play for Becamex TP HCM.

Vi Hao is a mainstay of the national team under coach Kim Sang-sik and the 22-year-old's experience and competitive spirit will help strengthen the attacking power of the Vietnam U22 team, especially in the context of the whole team aiming to compete for the Gold Medal at the 33rd SEA Games.

In addition, Vietnamese-American midfielder Tran Thanh Trung was not on the list of players for this training session. Previously, the 20-year-old player of Ninh Binh FC was injured in the 9th round of V-League 2025-2026.

According to the plan, the Vietnam U22 team will gather on November 9, under the leadership of coach Dinh Hong Vinh, then go to China to participate in the CFA Team China Panda Cup 2025. This tournament takes place from November 12 to 18 in Chengdu (Sichuan province, China), gathering four U22 teams including China, Korea, Uzbekistan and Vietnam.

The Vietnam Football Federation (VFF)'s support in participating in this quality competition is expected to help U22 Vietnam have the necessary preparation before the 33rd SEA Games. After completing the journey at the Panda Cup 2025, the U22 Vietnam team will enter a training session to prepare for the 33rd SEA Games, from November 23. During this period, the team will practice in Vung Tau, then leave for Thailand on December 2 to attend the Southeast Asian Games .

At the 33rd SEA Games, U22 Vietnam is in Group B with U22 Malaysia and U22 Laos. According to the schedule, the team will face U22 Laos at 6:30 p.m. on December 4, then face U22 Malaysia at 6:30 p.m. on December 11.

Group B matches will be played at Tinsulanon Stadium (Songkhla). The top three teams from each group and the best runner-up will advance to the semi-finals. The semi-finals will be held on December 15, while the bronze medal match and the final will be held on December 18, both at Rajamangala Stadium (Bangkok).

Source: https://nld.com.vn/hlv-kim-sang-sik-bat-ngo-loai-tien-ve-viet-kieu-khoi-tuyen-u22-viet-nam-196251106200850904.htm