U.23 Vietnam departs for U.23 Southeast Asian tournament: Determined to bring the cup back

U.23 Vietnam on the way to Indonesia

U.23 Vietnam departed from Tan Son Nhat International Airport at 9:55 this morning (July 14). Coach Kim Sang-sik and his team took flight VN631, expected to travel for 3 hours and arrive in Jakarta (Indonesia) at 1:00 p.m. the same day.

U.23 Việt Nam lên đường dự giải U.23 Đông Nam Á: Quyết mang cúp trở về- Ảnh 1. — Coach Kim Sang-sik and fitness assistant Cedric

U.23 Việt Nam lên đường dự giải U.23 Đông Nam Á: Quyết mang cúp trở về- Ảnh 2. — Luggage

U.23 Việt Nam lên đường dự giải U.23 Đông Nam Á: Quyết mang cúp trở về- Ảnh 3. — Viktor Le stands out with his blonde hair.

U.23 Việt Nam lên đường dự giải U.23 Đông Nam Á: Quyết mang cúp trở về- Ảnh 4.

U.23 Việt Nam lên đường dự giải U.23 Đông Nam Á: Quyết mang cúp trở về- Ảnh 5. — Pham Ly Duc also carried...

U.23 Việt Nam lên đường dự giải U.23 Đông Nam Á: Quyết mang cúp trở về- Ảnh 6.

U.23 Việt Nam lên đường dự giải U.23 Đông Nam Á: Quyết mang cúp trở về- Ảnh 7. — Young men take up national duties

U.23 Việt Nam lên đường dự giải U.23 Đông Nam Á: Quyết mang cúp trở về- Ảnh 8.

U.23 Việt Nam lên đường dự giải U.23 Đông Nam Á: Quyết mang cúp trở về- Ảnh 9.

U.23 Việt Nam lên đường dự giải U.23 Đông Nam Á: Quyết mang cúp trở về- Ảnh 10. — Coach Kim Sang-sik (white shirt) and his colleagues check in at Tan Son Nhat airport.

U.23 Việt Nam lên đường dự giải U.23 Đông Nam Á: Quyết mang cúp trở về- Ảnh 11. — Vietnam U.23 team leaves for Indonesia on the morning of July 14

U.23 Việt Nam lên đường dự giải U.23 Đông Nam Á: Quyết mang cúp trở về- Ảnh 12. — The goal of U.23 Vietnam is to achieve the best results.

U.23 Việt Nam lên đường dự giải U.23 Đông Nam Á: Quyết mang cúp trở về- Ảnh 13.

U.23 Việt Nam lên đường dự giải U.23 Đông Nam Á: Quyết mang cúp trở về- Ảnh 14.

Accompanying coach Kim Sang-sik are 23 U.23 Vietnam players selected by himself. After 3 weeks of high-intensity training combined with 2 friendly matches against U.23 Taiwan, the Korean coach has initially evaluated his students' abilities. He eliminated 8 players in the first round of finalizing the list, then eliminated 5 more players in the screening round on July 12 before completing the official list.

U.23 Vietnam will rest after landing and entering the country, then go to the field to warm up in the afternoon of the same day. Nguyen Dinh Bac and his teammates will have 6 days to prepare for the opening match against U.23 Laos, taking place at 5:00 p.m. on July 19. In Group B with U.23 Laos and U.23 Vietnam, there is also U.23 Cambodia. Coach Kim Sang-sik and his team will compete against U.23 Cambodia at 8:00 p.m. on July 22.

The matches of U.23 Vietnam at the U.23 Southeast Asian tournament are broadcast live on FPT Play. This is the playground where U.23 Vietnam has won the championship twice, in 2022 and 2023 respectively. U.23 Vietnam is on an 8-match unbeaten streak in this tournament, defeating many strong opponents such as U.23 Thailand (2 matches with the same score of 1-0 in 2022), U.23 Malaysia (4-1 in the semi-finals in 2023) or U.23 Indonesia (0-0, winning on penalties in the final in 2023).

Determination of U.23 Vietnam

Coach Kim Sang-sik affirmed that the whole team will approach the tournament with a high spirit of concentration and without subjectivity.

"Winning consecutive championships is something to be proud of, but we don't want to put too much pressure on the players. Football is a team sport , I always promote team spirit and discipline in competition. I always encourage the players to see this tournament as an opportunity to grow and develop, rather than just aiming for achievements. The results, in my opinion, will be a natural consequence of that process," Mr. Kim assessed.

U.23 Việt Nam lên đường dự giải U.23 Đông Nam Á: Quyết mang cúp trở về- Ảnh 15.

U.23 Việt Nam lên đường dự giải U.23 Đông Nam Á: Quyết mang cúp trở về- Ảnh 16.

Coach Kim Sang-sik added that this tournament is also an opportunity for the coaching staff to test and evaluate the team's strength towards the 2026 AFC U-23 Championship qualifiers and the upcoming 33rd SEA Games. The Korean coach and U-23 Vietnam will compete in 3 tournaments in just 6 months, and in each tournament, he and his players will face competition from ambitious football teams such as Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia.

"The U.23 Southeast Asian Championship is an opportunity for the coaching staff to evaluate the abilities of each player and find combinations for tactical cohesion. For young players, this is also a valuable opportunity to accumulate international competition experience," said coach Kim Sang-sik.