Coach of U22 Vietnam: 'Lack of people is not an obstacle'

Acting head coach Dinh Hong Vinh of U22 Vietnam said that the fact that the players had to split into many groups to travel to China close to the Panda Cup 2025 competition date was not a big obstacle.

Coach Dinh Hong Vinh of U22 Vietnam (right cover) with rival coaches at CFA Team China - Panda Cup 2025 - Photo: VFF

On November 11, acting head coach Dinh Hong Vinh of Vietnam U22 attended a press conference before the four-team friendly tournament CFA Team China - Panda Cup 2025 in China.

Coach Dinh Hong Vinh affirmed that the Panda Cup 2025 is a highly competitive international tournament, gathering the continent's top youth teams. Besides U22 Vietnam and host China, the two guest teams Uzbekistan and South Korea are also familiar opponents as they participated with U22 Vietnam in the international friendly tournament organized by CFA in March this year.

"In that tournament, U22 Vietnam drew 1-1 with South Korea, 0-0 with Uzbekistan and 1-1 with China. Those matches really helped our young players mature a lot, contributing to creating a foundation for U22 Vietnam to win the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Championship, and also win all the qualifiers for the 2026 Asian U23 Championship," Coach Dinh Hong Vinh shared.

Coach Dinh Hong Vinh also hopes that continuing to face strong opponents at CFA Team China - Panda Cup 2025 will provide an important stepping stone to help the Vietnam U22 team consolidate its strength and perfect its playing style, before entering the two upcoming big goals: SEA Games 33 and the 2026 U23 Asian Cup finals.

The difficulty for U22 Vietnam in participating in this tournament is the preparation stage, when the team under coach Dinh Hong Vinh has to be divided into many groups to go to China.

"It wasn't until this afternoon that we had our full squad when six players had just completed their duties playing for their home club. However, the team has been preparing throughout many training sessions since the end of 2024, so this is not a big obstacle.

The whole team will strive to compete well, achieve the highest professional efficiency, thereby creating a sprint for SEA Games 33," said coach Dinh Hong Vinh.

U22 Vietnam will start their first training session in China on the afternoon of November 11 with 17 players. Previously on November 10, right after settling in their accommodation, the coaching staff only organized muscle relaxation exercises for 12 players in the hotel grounds, to help the players recover after the long journey.

U22 Vietnam will play the opening match of Panda Cup 2025 against U22 China at 6:35 pm on November 12, Vietnam time.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/hlv-u22-viet-nam-thieu-nguoi-khong-phai-tro-ngai-20251111150614959.htm