U22 Vietnam kicks off early, moves entire team to Bangkok

Coach Kim Sang-sik and his team are preparing to attend the SEA Games in Thailand.

The 33rd SEA Games Organizing Committee was forced to change the venue and schedule of the men's football group B matches after severe flooding in Songkhla province (Thailand). Instead of playing at Tinsulanon Stadium, all matches of group B will be moved to the capital Bangkok to ensure the quality of the field, safety and organization conditions for the teams.

According to the old schedule, U22 Vietnam met Laos on December 4 and Malaysia on December 11. However, due to prolonged heavy rains that caused heavy damage to Songkhla, the host country moved 10 competitions - including men's football group B - to Bangkok.

The new schedule has been set: U22 Vietnam will play the opening match on December 3, one day earlier, while the match against Malaysia will still be held on December 11. The semi-finals and final will take place on December 15 and December 18, respectively. All matches will be held at Rajamangala Stadium, the largest stadium in Thailand.

Not only did the venue change, the men's football event at the 33rd SEA Games also saw significant changes in the number of participating teams. On November 27, the Cambodian Olympic Committee announced its withdrawal from eight events, including men's and women's football. This left Group A - which originally included Thailand, Timor-Leste and Cambodia - with only two teams. The organizing committee immediately made adjustments and planned to move U22 Singapore from Group C to Group A to replace Cambodia.

According to the new plan, men's football at SEA Games 33 will have 9 teams, divided into 3 groups, each group has 3 teams:

Group A: Thailand, Timor-Leste, Singapore
Group B: Vietnam, Malaysia, Laos
Group C: Indonesia, Myanmar, Philippines

U22 Vietnam is still training in Ba Ria-Vung Tau and entering the final preparation phase before moving from Ho Chi Minh City to Bangkok on the morning of December 1. VFF has sent a team to Thailand since November 30 to check the conditions of the hotel, training ground, stadium and logistics issues, ensuring that coach Kim Sang-sik and his team have maximum initiative when entering the journey of SEA Games 33.

The change happened close to the competition day, but the team was assessed to have prepared well and kept their spirits stable for the new challenge in Bangkok.