U.23 Vietnam: When the World Cup dream starts from the SEA Games

NEED TO EXCEED THE THRESHOLD

The U.23 Vietnam team gathered at the Vietnam Youth Football Training Center to begin the longest training session of the year. Coach Dinh Hong Vinh and his team gathered yesterday (November 9) in Hanoi , before leaving for China to participate in an international friendly tournament from November 12 to 18, where the players will face U.23 China, U.23 Uzbekistan and U.23 Korea.

This is not simply a training session to prepare for the 33rd SEA Games. In reality, the playground with familiar opponents and formats like the 2025 Southeast Asian U.23 tournament that U.23 Vietnam won 4 months ago is not the main goal of this generation of players.

SEA Games or U.23 Asia (tournament taking place in January 2026) are steps on the journey, and once they pass, faces like Trung Kien, Hieu Minh, Ly Duc, Dinh Bac, Nhat Minh, Xuan Bac, Phi Hoang, Ngoc My… will no longer be young players, but will truly enter the path of adulthood. A young generation, no matter how potential, needs difficult challenges to train and be ready to take on great responsibilities.

U.23 Vietnam is ready for new challenges

Photo: VFF

7 years ago, the U.23 Vietnam team of Quang Hai, Cong Phuong, Dinh Trong, Van Hau... overcame the pressure in Changzhou to win the U.23 Asia runner-up position, then went straight to the Vietnam national team. Youth tournaments, whether at the Southeast Asian or Asian level, are useful tests of character and ability, for coaches to see the ability of the generation approaching the national team.

In September 2024, when calling up Van Truong and Vi Hao (both born in 2003) to the Vietnam national team, coach Kim Sang-sik called this generation the future of Vietnamese football. Expert Doan Minh Xuong agreed, saying: "Both the 2027 Asian Cup and the 2030 World Cup qualifiers will take place in 2027, when the current U.23 generation enters the peak of their careers. The 1995-1997 generation of the Vietnam national team will then be 30-32 years old, on the other side of their career slope. Mr. Kim needs to transfer forces right now to prepare for that period.

The transition not only requires courage, but also requires a strategy built specifically for the U.23 generation: How to help young players hone their skills in the SEA Games and U.23 Asia tournaments, how to gradually approach the national team, how many matches will they play in the V-League?… U.23 Vietnam has great potential, but needs a coherent and methodical plan to become the locomotive for the goal of entering the third qualifying round of the 2030 World Cup, after we failed with the 2026 World Cup."

U.23 Vietnam BREAKS THE LIMIT

U.23 Vietnam had a smooth start under coach Kim when they won the Southeast Asian championship with 4 wins in 90 minutes (the first time in history), then completely passed the Asian qualifiers.

The Korean strategist acknowledged the progress of his students when promoting 8 U.23 players to the Vietnam national team, in which Trung Kien and Hieu Minh started, along with 2 other faces, Dinh Bac and Van Khang, coming off the bench in the two matches against Nepal. "They have made efforts to live and train professionally. Many of them are fit enough to start," coach Kim Sang-sik emphasized.

However, U.23 Vietnam can still be better. It can be believed that these are still rough gems that have not yet revealed their full potential for two reasons. The players have not yet regularly played in the V-League, and have not met the top teams in Asia to verify their level. The next 3 months, with a series of major tournaments, are an opportunity for the young generation to prove their competitive ability.

Mr. Kim's U.23 Vietnam needs to perfect their tactics and ability to control the match. Their recent success has been built mainly on a solid defense, quick attacks, and taking advantage of the high ball (thanks to the beautiful physique of the young team).

Mr. Kim's students are good enough to beat their regional opponents, but clearly, to be close to their seniors in the national team, the young generation needs to be even better. For example, U.23 Vietnam does not have a "killer" striker who is good at scoring goals, or a midfielder who can coordinate and control the game well.

Mr. Kim's students have collective strength, but the U.23 team was not established just to seek achievements. The main purpose is to find talents to serve the Vietnamese team. So not only winning, but the U.23 Vietnam team needs to introduce high-class players, ready to shoulder big goals in the national team.

Thanhnien.vn

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/u23-viet-nam-khi-mong-world-cup-khoi-dau-tu-sea-games-185251109222228107.htm