The date of U.23 Vietnam's match against Korea has been revealed, the reason why coach Kim cannot be present

The tour to China next November is an important rehearsal for the Vietnam U.23 team, before starting the journey to conquer the gold medal in men's football at the 33rd SEA Games taking place later this year in Thailand.

"Q UAN XANH" QUALITY

From November 12 to 18, U.23 Vietnam will participate in the CFA Team China Panda Cup 2025 international football tournament, taking place in Chengdu (Sichuan province, China). In this tournament, U.23 Vietnam will meet host China (18:35, November 12), Uzbekistan (14:30, November 15) and South Korea (14:30, November 18). Because November 18 coincides with the second leg of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers between the Vietnamese team and the host Laos, coach Kim Sang-sik will not lead U.23 Vietnam during this training session, but will continue to assign the task to assistant Dinh Hong Vinh.

The friendly tournament in China is considered an important step for the Golden Star team to prepare for the 2026 AFC U23 Championship, and especially the 33rd SEA Games. The time for the U23 Vietnam international friendly tournament in China is only about 2 weeks before the 33rd SEA Games. Therefore, this is a useful international competition, helping the coaching staff continue to test personnel, tactics and perfect the squad in the sprint stage for the regional sports festival.

Dinh Xuan Tien (9) is gradually asserting himself at Viettel The Cong Club.

PHOTO: VUONG ANH

This is the third consecutive time that the Vietnamese team has been invited to participate in the prestigious tournament organized by the Chinese Football Association (CFA). In the last time participating in March 2025, under the leadership of acting head coach Dinh Hong Vinh, U.23 Vietnam played quite impressively with an undefeated record (1-1 draw with South Korea, 0-0 draw with Uzbekistan and 1-1 draw with host China), thereby finishing in third place overall. In the upcoming tournament, the Golden Star team will likely continue to compete under the direction of acting head coach Dinh Hong Vinh. Because this period is also when coach Kim Sang-sik gathers with the Vietnamese team on the occasion of FIFA Days in November, to prepare for the match against the Laos team (November 19) in the final qualifying round of the 2027 Asian Cup.

YOUNG PLAYERS ACCELERATE

Regarding the squads, coach Kim Sang-sik and his colleagues may still apply the same method as the last time on FIFA Days in October. The names that are already strong at the age of U.23 such as goalkeeper Tran Trung Kien, midfielder Khuat Van Khang, striker Nguyen Dinh Bac... will continue to be used in the Vietnamese team to accumulate experience in a top environment. Meanwhile, the U.23 Vietnam squad participating in the CFA Team China Panda Cup 2025 is more diverse, including players who have proven their potential before, or have shown recent progress in the colors of their home clubs. The relatively new names of the U.23 generation such as Nguyen Bao Long (PVF-CAND), HAGL's 1.9m-tall center-back Dinh Quang Kiet, midfielder Nguyen Cong Phuong (The Cong Viettel), overseas Vietnamese player Nguyen Vadim ( Da Nang Club), Nguyen Thai Quoc Cuong (Ho Chi Minh City Police Club)... are likely to still be given the opportunity to "test the fire". Competing with strong opponents in continental youth football such as Korea and Uzbekistan is an opportunity for young Vietnamese players to hone their skills in the international arena.

The international football tournament in China takes place when the 33rd SEA Games is approaching. In addition to calculating how to help the team reach its peak performance, the tournament in China is also the basis for the coaching staff to make an assessment before finalizing the list of personnel to participate in the regional sports festival. Therefore, every minute of the match in the upcoming encounters with Korea, Uzbekistan, and China is the time for the players to show their best, in order to score points with acting coach Dinh Hong Vinh and Mr. Kim Sang-sik.

At this time, the U.23 Vietnam midfield is quite thick. Notably, there is competition for position between 3 overseas Vietnamese players including Le Viktor (Ha Tinh Club), Tran Thanh Trung (Ninh Binh Club) and Nguyen Vadim. In addition, the U.23 Vietnam attack is also witnessing the acceleration of Nghe An striker Dinh Xuan Tien (The Cong Viettel), or the striker once known by the nickname "king of youth tournaments" Nguyen Quoc Viet (Ninh Binh Club). Xuan Tien has just made a strong impression with 2 consecutive important goals for the military team, in rounds 6 and 7 of the V-League. Quoc Viet also scored his first goal in the rookie team's shirt, which is leading the rankings.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/lo-dien-ngay-u23-viet-nam-dau-han-quoc-ly-do-thay-kim-khong-the-co-mat-185251023212135783.htm