Pendant Quang Vinh to Vietnam national team

On May 22, head coach Kim Sang Sik named Cao Pendant Quang Vinh in the list of 23 players of the Vietnamese team to prepare for the match against the Malaysian team, within the framework of the second match of Group F - Final qualifying round of the 2027 Asian Cup.

This is the first time this defender has worn the national team shirt after officially becoming a Vietnamese citizen since last March. Quang Vinh and Nguyen Filip, two naturalized stars, are in very good form for the Hanoi Police Club, especially at the 2024/25 Southeast Asian Club Championship when they reached the final with their home team. In the final match that took place on the evening of May 21 against Buriram Club, Quang Vinh scored and had an impressive performance. Cao Pendant Quang Vinh shared his feelings after officially receiving Vietnamese citizenship that he will show his best performance to prove himself for the goal of being called up to the national team: "My family and I are extremely proud after I received Vietnamese citizenship. My mother called me while I was training with the Hanoi Police Club, then I called her back and my mother almost cried," he shared.

Quang Vinh joined the Hanoi Police Club at the beginning of the 2024/25 season and quickly affirmed his talent. With a Vietnamese mother, the defender born in 1997 was quickly supported by the club's leadership with legal procedures to apply for Vietnamese citizenship.

Another face that has attracted much attention on the list of players called up is Nguyen Cong Phuong. This veteran striker last appeared in a friendly match against Palestine in September 2023. Cong Phuong is showing good form when leading the scoring list in the 2024/25 National First Division with 7 goals for Truong Tuoi Binh Phuoc Club. In the goalkeeping position, Nguyen Filip returns after being absent from the most recent training session due to family reasons.

In this list, there are some players who are unfortunately absent such as striker Nguyen Xuan Son, Bui Vi Hao, midfielder Doan Ngoc Tan and defender Ho Tan Tai. In addition, striker Nguyen Van Toan also missed the appointment with the national team this time due to a relapse of his injury while playing in the V.League for Nam Dinh Club. Most recently, defender Vu Van Thanh was injured after the second leg of the final match of the 2024/25 Southeast Asian Club Championship and could not reunite with his teammates.

According to the plan, the Vietnamese team will gather again in Hanoi on May 29. It is expected that on June 6, coach Kim Sang Sik and his team will travel to Malaysia and have three more days of training, getting used to the weather and field conditions before entering the match against host Malaysia at Bukit Jalil Stadium, Kuala Lumpur.