U23 Vietnam summons 2 overseas Vietnamese to attend Asian qualifiers

In addition to the old name Viktor Le, a notable point in this list is the appearance of the Vietnamese-American midfielder, who used to be a mainstay of the Bulgarian U21 team: Tran Thanh Trung (Chung Nguyen Do). The 20-year-old player grew up from the CSKA Sofia training center, played professionally since 2013 and has had 2 seasons playing in the Bulgarian National Championship.

In the summer of 2025, he returned to Ninh Binh Club. Although he has not won an official position at the club, he is still trusted by coach Kim Sang-sik. The central midfielder position has been a headache for him in the recent U23 Southeast Asian tournament and with this new recruit, Mr. Kim can "solve" the problem successfully.

In the goal, U23 Vietnam called on Trung Kien, the goalkeeper who is in very good form and has grown significantly under Hoang Anh Gia Lai . Van Binh is also a reputable choice as he is being trusted a lot by SLNA.

In defense, Ly Duc, Hieu Minh and Anh Quan continue to be key players. In midfield, Mr. Kim puts his trust in Van Truong, Xuan Bac... Van Khang was injured in Viettel 's last match but the injury was minor so he was still called up. Meanwhile, in attack, Dinh Bac, Thanh Nhan, Ngoc My and Van Thuan are the 4 names chosen.

The 2026 AFC U23 Championship qualifiers will take place from September 3 to 9. Vietnam will host Group C with the host, Singapore, Bangladesh and Yemen. Singapore and Bangladesh are among the weakest teams in Asia, and are unlikely to cause a surprise for Vietnam. Most likely, the team's main opponent will be the representative from West Asia, Yemen. The match between Vietnam and Yemen will determine the top spot in the group and a direct ticket to the final round.