U22 Vietnam: Is the future rosy?

Potential

The list of U22 Vietnam announced by Coach Kim Sang Sik is no longer too unfamiliar to fans. This generation of players has gone through a journey of rich experience, not only competing in important youth tournaments in the region and continent in the past few years, but most of them are and have been playing regularly in V-League - a playground that is inherently harsh and not easy for young players.

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This generation of U22 Vietnam players is very promising.

Being exposed to a top professional environment has helped Van Khang, Dinh Bac and his teammates gain experience, good football skills and the ability to withstand high pressure.

The achievements that have been achieved, such as winning the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Championship or winning a ticket to the 2026 Asian U23 Finals, are clear proof of the potential of the U22 generation that Mr. Kim Sang Sik has.

U22 Vietnam is considered a legacy resource, will shoulder the future of Vietnamese football in the coming years, starting with the goal of SEA Games 33 or the U23 Asian Cup early next year.

But it's not necessarily pink.

According to the football development process, U22 Vietnam players are considered the future of Vietnamese football, and will shoulder the responsibility of the national team.

In fact, some typical faces such as Nguyen Dinh Bac, Khuat Van Khang, Tran Trung Kien, Nguyen Thanh Nhan... have played for the Vietnamese national team.

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But getting into the Vietnamese national team in the near future is clearly not easy when there are many naturalized players like Xuan Son.

However, saying that does not mean that a rosy future is definitely for these potential young players, at least in the near future. The biggest reason lies in the policies and strategies of coach Kim Sang Sik with the Vietnam team.

Under coach Kim Sang Sik, the Vietnam team is stepping up the process of using quality naturalized players when, in addition to Xuan Son and Do Hoang Hen, there will be at least 3-4 other naturalized players who are eligible to play (such as Gustavo, Janclesio, Geovane, Patrik Le Giang) added to the squad. This significantly narrows the playing opportunities for U22 Vietnam players.

The U22 players not only have to face fierce competition from naturalized players who are in good form, but also have to compete with experienced seniors such as Quang Hai, Hoang Duc or Tuan Hai. Winning a starting position or even a regular position in the Vietnam national team becomes extremely difficult.

The distant future may be rosy, but to take another step on the career path in the Vietnam national team under coach Kim Sang Sik is not an easy challenge for the current generation of U22 Vietnam. Simply put, this generation of players needs to make great efforts to overcome both the "wall" of experience of their seniors and the "wave" of naturalized players.