'U23 Vietnam's championship is the result of maturity and unity'

After winning the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Championship, Coach Kim Sang-sik shared special emotions and insights into the journey to the throne of U23 Vietnam, the role of young players, set-piece tactics and long-term plans for Vietnamese football.

Coach Kim Sang-sik said that U23 Vietnam's championship is the result of maturity and unity. Photo: VFF .

“After only 7 months, I was able to lift the Southeast Asian championship trophy again, this time with the U23 Vietnam team. It feels great,” coach Kim Sang-sik began his interview with the media while still in the throes of victory.

Speaking of regional teams, he called opponents like Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines "real challenges". However, the Korean strategist emphasized: "This trophy is a worthy reward for the tireless efforts of the whole team".

After the defeat against Malaysia at the national team level, coach Kim Sang-sik decided to temporarily put the past aside to focus on U23 Vietnam. “I don’t want to be held back by failure. For U23 Vietnam, this is a new journey. I am very lucky to be working with a generation of talented players with great potential for long-term development,” he said.

In the journey to the championship of U23 Vietnam, the Korean strategist invested heavily in set pieces. According to him, more than 29% of goals in modern football come from these situations. Therefore, the coaching staff spent a lot of time developing implementation plans. In particular, the ability to stretch the opponent's defense to create space for players to move and score.

Not only familiar faces like Van Khang, Dinh Bac or Trung Kien, coach Kim Sang-sik highly appreciated new talents like Nhat Minh, Xuan Bac, Hieu Minh, Cong Phuong and Le Viktor. "Although some players lacked confidence in the first matches, through training and encouragement, they matured quickly and contributed greatly to the championship," he said.

U23 Vietnam successfully defended the championship title at U23 Southeast Asia. Photo: VFF.

Referring to Nguyen Cong Phuong, who scored the only goal in the final, the coach born in 1976 had many compliments: "He is 2-3 years younger than his teammates but he shows agility, moves intelligently and plays very disciplined football. I put my trust in Cong Phuong in the two most important matches and he did not disappoint my expectations."

With Le Viktor, even though he only came on as a substitute, coach Kim Sang-sik said that this Vietnamese-American player fulfilled the tactical requirements well. However, he also frankly pointed out the areas that needed improvement: "He needs to develop his finishing ability and ball control under pressure if he wants to go far."

He believes that Viktor is under invisible pressure from the title "overseas Vietnamese player" and hopes that the media and fans will create conditions for the player under Ha Tinh's management to develop instead of placing a burden of expectations.

Coach Kim Sang-sik also affirmed that the national team's door is always open to overseas Vietnamese players. "As long as they meet the professional standards, they will have a chance," he said. Regarding the case of Chung Nguyen Do - a player who recently joined Ninh Binh FC, the Korean strategist and his colleagues have only watched the video and will monitor more closely in the coming time.

He was satisfied with the performance of U23 Vietnam at the tournament. Photo: Hai Ho.

In the immediate future, Coach Kim Sang-sik will focus all his efforts on important goals such as the 2026 U23 Asian qualifiers, the Asian Cup qualifiers and the 33rd SEA Games. The early stages of the V.League season and the 2025/26 First Division are important times for him to directly monitor and discover potential players for the national teams.

“We are building a long-term foundation for the national team. If players like Cong Phuong or Van Thuan play regularly in the V.League, the Vietnamese national team will be much stronger,” Mr. Kim emphasized.

Regarding the injuries of Van Hau and Xuan Son, coach Kim Sang-sik expressed his joy when he learned that both were recovering well: "The door to the national team is always open to them. They are both good and experienced players."

Closing his sharing, Mr. Kim said: “In football, the most important thing is cohesion. A united team that understands each other from defense to attack is the key to victory”. That is also the spirit that U23 Vietnam demonstrated in the recent tournament.

Source: https://znews.vn/u23-viet-nam-vo-dich-la-thanh-qua-cua-su-truong-thanh-va-gan-ket-post1573170.html