There is a new 1.91 m tall player who can join U.23 Vietnam, but needs more conditions...

Before coach Kim Sang-sik announced the list of the Vietnam U.23 team for the 33rd SEA Games and the 2026 AFC U.23 Championship finals, the players still had the opportunity to wear the national team jersey, including overseas Vietnamese players.

2 promising midfielders of U.23 Vietnam

One of the Vietnamese-American players who has been mentioned the most since the beginning of the 2025-2026 season until now is midfielder Tran Thanh Trung. This player, who returned from Bulgaria, was called up to the Vietnam U.23 team before the U.23 Asia qualifiers, which took place in early September. However, at that time, Tran Thanh Trung did not have much experience playing, did not understand much about Vietnamese football and was injured, so he left the Vietnam U.23 team at the last minute.

Nguyen Vadim wearing the U.23 Vietnam team jersey in early October

Photo: VFF

Currently, things are developing more positively. Tran Thanh Trung is gradually gaining a playing position in Ninh Binh Club. In a midfield that owns 2 national players including Nguyen Hoang Duc and Nguyen Duc Chien, Tran Thanh Trung still squeezes in between these 2 stars, showing that Tran Thanh Trung has proven his worth. He is still highly appreciated for his technical quality and modern playing style, with European colors.

The same situation is happening with midfielder Nguyen Vadim (Russian Vietnamese) in the Da Nang club shirt. Nguyen Vadim has also made certain contributions to the Han River team since the beginning of the season. Nguyen Vadim was called up to the Vietnam U.23 team recently.

However, there is still no guarantee that Nguyen Vadim will be able to participate in the 33rd SEA Games, because the period when this player was called up to the Vietnam U.23 team in early October was the period when many of the best players in the 23-year-old age group were busy with the national team, so there were many gaps in the Vietnam U.23 team. Therefore, this Vietnamese-Russian player needs to make more efforts to completely convince coach Kim Sang-sik to give him a chance at the SEA Games, taking place this coming December.

The central defender has good physique and is good at participating in attacks.

Another Vietnamese-American player who has been unexpectedly mentioned in the past few days is the Vietnamese-American midfielder Zan Nguyen. This player plays as a midfielder, but he scored a beautiful goal in the match between Ho Chi Minh City and Long An , in the national first division, after joining the attack and shooting the ball from outside the penalty area. This was also the only goal that brought victory to Ho Chi Minh City Club, helping this team temporarily take second place in the 2025-2026 first division.

Zan Nguyen just scored a beautiful goal in the 2025-2026 first division

Photo: Ho Chi Minh City Club

Zan Nguyen has a very good physique, he is 1.91 m tall. He is also trying to become a Vietnamese citizen, so that he can wear the U.23 Vietnam team shirt at SEA Games 33. In addition to the center-back position, Zan Nguyen can play in the central midfielder position, which can help increase the long-range blocking ability of the U.23 Vietnam team. If he is called up to U.23 Vietnam, the team will have another player with a height of 1.91, in addition to goalkeeper Trung Kien.

Of course, the U.23 team currently does not lack quality central defenders and midfielders, but if the team has one more player with good physique, modern playing style, and effective when joining the attack, the team's strength will be increased.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/xuat-hien-them-nhan-to-cao-191-m-co-the-len-u23-viet-nam-can-them-dieu-kien-185251027221527023.htm