Why is the Vietnamese women's team missing Huynh Nhu and overseas Vietnamese players?

The Vietnam women's team gathered today (October 21), with 26 players.

The Vietnamese women's team is not yet fully qualified.

On the afternoon of October 21, the Vietnamese women's team entered the first training session of a 40-day training camp to prepare for the 33rd SEA Games.

Coach Mai Duc Chung has 26 players, however, there are no members of the Ho Chi Minh City women's team such as Chuong Thi Kieu and Huynh Nhu. The Ho Chi Minh City women's team has just won the national women's football championship and is preparing for the AFC Champions League 2025 - 2026.

Last season, the HCMC Women's Club made history by reaching the semi-finals of the Asian C1 tournament. Therefore, the HCMC women's players were given the best possible preparation for the tournament.

Vietnam women's team gathers

PHOTO: MINH TU

"The current number of the Vietnamese women's team is 26 members. The team lacks players and assistants from the Ho Chi Minh City women's team, as they are busy preparing for the AFC Champions League. Of the 26 players, two are injured and have to do light training. They are Duong Thi Van and Thai Thi Thao. They can return to practice with the team after another week," coach Mai Duc Chung shared with the press about the team's situation.

Coach Mai Duc Chung revealed that the Vietnamese women's team will train at the Vietnam Youth Training Center ( Hanoi ) from now until November 20. During this time, the team is expected to play 3 to 4 friendly matches. After that, the team will go to Japan for a 10-day training session, playing against many strong clubs there. When the training session ends, the team will fly back to Ho Chi Minh City for 4 days.

"Because the climate in Ho Chi Minh City is similar to Bangkok (Thailand), where the SEA Games will take place, the players need to practice here to adapt, instead of returning to Hanoi, which is already very cold," added coach Mai Duc Chung.

Vietnam women's team is not afraid of the Philippines

At the 33rd SEA Games, the Vietnamese women’s team is in Group B with Myanmar, the Philippines and Malaysia. This is a group of death, as Myanmar and the Philippines are both strong candidates for the title.

However, coach Mai Duc Chung said that the Philippines is not a formidable opponent, despite losing to their opponents in the last two matches at SEA Games 32 (0-1) and AFF Cup 2022 (0-4).

"The Vietnamese women's team has played friendly matches with France, Germany, Spain, and played World Cup matches with the US and the Netherlands. Recently, the team also competed against young Australians in the AFF Cup semi-finals. Through those matches, we learned many lessons," said coach Mai Duc Chung.

Vietnam women's team accumulates experience after failures

PHOTO: MINH TU

"Perhaps, we should 'normalize' the upcoming challenges. The Philippine women's team is just like Germany or France, there is no need to worry. The players have played against many strong teams before. It's not that we are afraid of them. The opponents are also afraid of us. The Vietnamese women's players may not have the same stature as their opponents, but they are resilient and skillful, we must promote this strength. The Vietnamese women's team must practice physical strength, press fiercely, and not let the opponents play the ball."

When asked why he did not use overseas Vietnamese players in this training session, coach Mai Duc Chung affirmed that he wanted to reserve space for domestic players.

"We can't say anything yet because we haven't been able to contact the overseas Vietnamese players. The Vietnamese women's team is mainly made up of internal resources. I also suggested that overseas Vietnamese return to the country to contribute to the country, but the players haven't been able to meet our needs yet.

I also see this as an opportunity to encourage domestic players to strive harder. If we still achieve good results without overseas Vietnamese players, that is a good thing," Coach Mai Duc Chung concluded.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/vi-sao-doi-tuyen-nu-viet-nam-vang-huynh-nhu-va-cau-thu-viet-kieu-185251021174313772.htm