U22 Vietnam first training session in Ba Ria - Vung Tau, preparing for Southeast Asian tournament

VHO - The Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) said that the Vietnam U22 team has just had its first training session in Ba Ria - Vung Tau to prepare for the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Championship, taking place in Indonesia in July.

Having won the Southeast Asian U23 Championship twice in a row (2022, 2023), U22 Vietnam is considered one of the brightest candidates for this year's championship.

Coach Kim Sang-sik expects his players to be well prepared.

However, coach Kim Sang-sik emphasized that the biggest goal is not immediate achievements but the comprehensive development of young players.

“Winning back-to-back titles is something to be proud of, but instead of putting too much pressure on ourselves, we want to focus on giving our best in every game.

I always encourage the players to see this tournament as an opportunity to grow and develop, rather than just aiming for results. The results, in my opinion, will be a natural consequence of that process,” said head coach Kim Sang-sik.

In this training session, coach Kim Sang-sik called up 35 players, with many promising faces and international competition experience.

Notably, 8 players who contributed to the 2023 Southeast Asian U23 Championship continue to be trusted, along with the presence of two overseas Vietnamese players: midfielder Le Viktor (Hong Linh Ha Tinh Club) and striker Bui Alex (Bohemians Praha 1905 B team, Czech Republic).

U22 Vietnam enters the journey to prepare for the regional tournament

These are two factors expected to bring new momentum to the Vietnam U22 team.

In addition, this training session also saw the first appearance of young midfielder Nguyen Ngoc My (Dong A Thanh Hoa ) in the U22 Vietnam team.

Ngoc My is the best player at the 2023 National U19 Tournament, and has just won the title of top scorer at the 2024 National U21 Tournament and contributed greatly to the bronze medal achievement of U21 Dong A Thanh Hoa.

However, due to some players' schedules being tied up with the National Cup and the 2024/25 season play-off, the U22 Vietnam team did not have enough players for the first training session.

According to the plan, the U22 Vietnam team will continue training in Ba Ria Vung Tau until July 12, then move to Ho Chi Minh City to prepare for the flight to Indonesia on the morning of July 14.

Source: https://baovanhoa.vn/the-thao/u22-viet-nam-tap-buoi-dau-tien-tai-ba-ria-vung-tau-chuan-bi-cho-giai-dong-nam-a-146955.html