U22 Vietnam finalizes list of participants for SEA Games 33

On the morning of November 30, the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) homepage announced the list of 23 names selected by coach Kim Sang-sik to join U22 Vietnam at the 33rd SEA Games.

In this final round, 5 players had to say goodbye to the team including defender Le Van Ha, Dinh Quang Kiet, midfielder Tran Thanh Trung, Nguyen Duc Viet and striker Bui Vi Hao.

U22 Việt Nam chốt danh sách dự SEA Games 33- Ảnh 1. — U22 Vietnam is ready for SEA Games 33 (Photo: VFF).

The most regrettable absence is striker Bui Vi Hao, who has just returned from injury and is not in his best form. In addition, Vietnamese-American player Tran Thanh Trung has not impressed coach Kim Sang-sik and has been eliminated.

Meanwhile, the names chosen to attend SEA Games 33 with U22 Vietnam are all of very high quality. Notable among them are goalkeeper Tran Trung Kien, defenders Hieu Minh, Ly Duc, Nhat Minh, midfielders Thai Son, Van Khang, Le Viktor or strikers Quoc Viet, Dinh Bac, Ngoc My.

These are all the most outstanding young players of Vietnamese football at the moment. In fact, many names on the list called up by coach Kim Sang-sik to attend the 33rd SEA Games are familiar faces in the Vietnamese team.

In the team meeting before announcing the list, coach Kim Sang-sik gave the captain's armband to Khuat Van Khang, a midfielder born in 2003 who is considered a player with a lot of international experience through major tournaments such as the 2023 Asian Cup Finals, the 2024 U23 Asian Cup Finals and the 2024 ASEAN Cup. Van Khang is also an important factor in helping U23 Vietnam win the 2025 U23 Southeast Asia Championship and win a ticket to the 2026 U23 Asian Cup Finals. Meanwhile, Nguyen Dinh Bac was assigned the position of vice-captain.

At the 33rd SEA Games, U22 Vietnam is in Group B with Malaysia and Laos. According to the adjusted schedule, coach Kim Sang-sik and his team will play the opening match against U22 Laos on December 3, before facing U22 Malaysia on December 11, at Rajamangala Stadium (Bangkok).

According to plan, on December 1st the team will move from Ho Chi Minh City to Bangkok to prepare for the 33rd SEA Games.

The goal of U22 Vietnam at the 2025 Southeast Asian Games is to reach the final match, thereby competing for the Gold Medal. But this is not a simple task because the opponents of coach Kim Sang-sik and his team in this year's tournament are all very determined.

The two biggest rivals of the red team in competing for the Gold Medal are U22 Thailand and U22 Indonesia.

For U22 Thailand, this is a tournament played on home ground so they are very determined to win the Gold Medal. In the last 3 Games, Vietnam has won 2 times, the remaining time belongs to Indonesia.

Meanwhile, U22 Indonesia is also ready to head to SEA Games 33. Recently, this team announced a list of up to 5 naturalized players to prepare for the tournament taking place in Thailand.

But before the 33rd SEA Games kicks off, U22 Indonesia is having a bit of trouble as officials are not in agreement in setting goals for the team and this could affect the players' mentality.