Vietnam U.23 team is given priority.

Coach Kim Sang-sik's top priority during the November FIFA Days is to ensure the Vietnam U23 team has the best possible players to gain experience against strong opponents in a friendly tournament in China.

An important preparation step for Vietnam U23 team for the 33rd SEA Games.

It is expected that on November 10th, both the Vietnamese national team and the U23 Vietnamese team will gather at the Vietnam Youth Football Center in Hanoi , after which they will separate to pursue different goals. During the FIFA Days in November, the Vietnamese national team will only play one match in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers against Laos (whom Vietnam lost 0-5 to in the first leg). While the Vietnam U23 team will fly to Chengdu, Sichuan Province (China) to participate in the 2025 Panda Cup international friendly tournament, the opportunity to compete against three quality opponents – China (November 12), Uzbekistan (November 15), and South Korea (November 18) – is considered by coach Kim Sang-sik as a crucial preparation step for the Vietnam U23 team ahead of the 33rd SEA Games. Therefore, Mr. Kim may finalize a balanced plan: directly managing the Vietnam national team to secure all three points in Laos, while prioritizing the strongest possible squad for the Vietnam U23 team, led by interim coach Dinh Hong Vinh. According to this calculation, the South Korean strategist plans to assemble a streamlined Vietnam national team with only 23 players, while the U23 team will have 26 players.

The Vietnam U.23 team will most likely be given priority in fielding their strongest squad for the upcoming training camp.

Photo: Minh Tú

Coach Dinh Hong Vinh was previously trusted by Mr. Kim to lead the Vietnam U23 team in the CFA Team China 2025 tournament in China last March. At that time, the Vietnam U23 team was missing many key players such as Van Khang, Thai Son, Ly Duc... due to their time with the senior national team, but they performed well, drawing three matches against South Korea, Uzbekistan, and China. From there, the Vietnam U23 team introduced many names who later became key players, such as goalkeeper Van Binh, central defenders Hieu Minh and Nhat Minh; midfielders Xuan Bac and Le Viktor… In this training camp, Coach Vinh will have the opportunity to bring a stronger squad for a final assessment before Mr. Kim directly coaches the team in the second preparation phase (from November 23-29) in Ba Ria City, and then fly to Chiangmai (Thailand) to participate in the 33rd SEA Games.

The Vietnamese team is short on personnel, but it's not a cause for concern.

In the two matches against Nepal last October in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers, coach Kim Sang-sik gave opportunities to U23 Vietnam players such as Trung Kien and Hieu Minh to make their debuts for the national team. Thanh Nhan had his first official match under the South Korean coach, alongside Van Khang and Dinh Bac who came on in the second half (Phi Hoang and Xuan Bac were registered but did not play). At this point, Mr. Kim will have to carefully consider whether to call them up to the national team for one match (they are highly likely to be benched, which would be a waste) or to have them play three quality matches in the U23 Vietnam jersey.

In reality, the Vietnamese team is short of personnel due to a long injury list including important names like Van Thanh, Tan Tai, Vi Hao, Thanh Binh, Viet Anh, Nguyen Filip, Ngoc Quang… This will more or less affect the coaching staff's personnel calculations for the U23 Vietnam team. However, given how Vietnam defeated Laos 5-0 in the first leg, it is reasonable to believe that the Vietnamese team will accomplish their mission in the match on November 19th.

The good news is that Ngoc Tan's return will provide Hoang Duc with a compatible and effective partner in the Vietnamese national team, so Xuan Bac is likely to join the U23 team. In defense, Van Lam and Dinh Trieu are in good form; Duy Manh, Thanh Chung, Xuan Manh, Tien Dung, Quang Vinh, Tien Anh… are all improving, so it's possible that Phi Hoang and Nhat Minh will not go to Laos but will instead join the U23 team. What is currently weighing on Coach Kim's mind are Dinh Bac and Van Khang, as the attacking options for the Vietnamese national team are quite limited, with only Tien Linh and Tuan Hai remaining. However, it's not impossible that Dinh Bac and Van Khang could still be included in the U23 squad.

Coach Kim Sang-sik's top priority is ensuring the strongest possible squad for the Vietnam U23 team to perform effectively in China, thereby preparing as best as possible for the 33rd SEA Games at the end of the year. Therefore, the Vietnam U23 team will most likely have its strongest lineup for the tour in China this November.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/u23-viet-nam-duoc-uu-tien-185251030212350034.htm