U22 Vietnam lists out to prepare for U23 Southeast Asia

(NLDO) - Coach Kim Sang-sik selected 35 players for the Vietnam U22 team to prepare for the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Championship.

On the afternoon of June 20, head coach Kim Sang Sik announced the list of 35 players for the 3rd training session of 2025 of the Vietnam U22 team, preparing for the journey to defend the championship title at the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Championship.

This time, the list is still mostly familiar faces who have participated in the two most recent gatherings under the guidance of Acting Head Coach Dinh Hong Vinh. In which, the first gathering took place at FIFA Days in March 2025, the team participated in the CFA Team China 2025 International Football Tournament held in Jiangsu, China with strong U22 opponents such as Uzbekistan, Korea and host China. The second gathering took place at FIFA Days in June 2025.

The notable highlight in the list selected by coach Kim Sang Sik this time is the appearance of 8 players who contributed to the 2023 Southeast Asian U23 Championship, including: goalkeeper Tran Trung Kien; defender Nguyen Hong Phuc; midfielders Nguyen Van Truong, Khuat Van Khang, Dinh Xuan Tien; and three strikers Nguyen Dang Duong, Le Dinh Long Vu and Nguyen Quoc Viet. Most of them continue to affirm their positions when they are called up to attend the 2024 Asian U23 Finals. In particular, midfielder Khuat Van Khang also regularly plays for the national team.

Another good news for the Vietnam U22 team is the return of striker Nguyen Dinh Bac after a period of injury treatment. The striker born in 2004 suffered a broken fifth toe during the training session in March and was expected to be out for at least 3 months. However, Dinh Bac's recovery process has been more positive than expected. This young player is considered the brightest discovery of Vietnamese football in recent years with good personal technique, diverse finishing ability and modern football thinking. He also left his mark at the national team level with a goal against the Philippines in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, and a beautiful goal against Japan at the 2023 Asian Cup finals.

The list of players this time also includes two promising overseas Vietnamese players: midfielder Le Viktor (Hong Linh Ha Tinh Club) and striker Bui Alex (Bohemians Praha 1905 team B, playing in the Czech Republic's Third Division). While Le Viktor is performing well in the V.League and has participated in recent training sessions, Bui Alex has just had his first try with U22 Vietnam in the training session at the end of May and the beginning of June.

Another notable young player is midfielder Nguyen Ngoc My of Dong A Thanh Hoa. This player is a shining star who helped Dong A Thanh Hoa U19 win the 2023 National U19 Championship and was honored as the tournament's best player. In 2024, Ngoc My continued to win the title of top scorer at the National U21 Championship, making a great contribution to helping Dong A Thanh Hoa U21 win the bronze medal. This player from Tinh Gia had the opportunity to wear the Vietnam U23 shirt for the first time during the training session in March 2025, but missed the opportunity due to a serious injury in the match between Dong A Thanh Hoa and Hai Phong in the 1/8 round of the 2024/25 National Cup.

However, the team is not without regrettable absences, notably the case of striker Bui Vi Hao. This highly rated striker has competed in continental tournaments such as U20 Asia, U23 Asia and ASIAD. Notably, at the 2024 ASEAN Cup, he was trusted by coach Kim Sang Sik to play as a starter and scored an important goal against Myanmar. However, at the end of March, Vi Hao suffered a serious injury that required surgery, and is expected to take 10 months to fully recover.

According to the plan, the Vietnam U22 team will gather again on June 26 in Ba Ria Vung Tau. The team will train here until July 14 before leaving for Indonesia to participate in the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Championship, taking place from July 15 to 29. In the group stage, Vietnam will face Laos on July 19 and Cambodia on July 22.

At the U23 Southeast Asian arena, the U23 Vietnam team won the championship twice in a row in 2022 and 2023.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/u22-viet-nam-len-danh-sach-chuan-bi-u23-dong-nam-a-196250620193633161.htm