Kim Sang Sik will not be coaching the Vietnam U22 team at the Panda Cup 2025.
Kim Sang Sik will be absent from the 2025 Panda Cup to prepare with the national team; Vietnam U22, led by Dinh Hong Vinh, will face China, Uzbekistan, and South Korea again, and will assemble on November 9th.
On the evening of November 6th, the list of players called up for the Vietnam U22 team for the CFA Team China Panda Cup 2025 friendly tournament was announced. In this tournament, coach Kim Sang Sik will not be directly leading the team. The acting head coach has been assigned to Mr. Dinh Hong Vinh to ensure a seamless preparation process for the Vietnam U22 team.
With Kim Sang Sik absent, Dinh Hong Vinh temporarily took charge of the model.
According to the plan, coach Kim Sang Sik will dedicate all his time to preparing the Vietnamese national team for their away match against Laos in the fifth round of Group F of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers. In this context, Mr. Dinh Hong Vinh has been appointed as the interim head coach of the Vietnam U22 team.
Mr. Dinh Hong Vinh was given the responsibility at the CFA Team China 2025 tournament earlier this year at the suggestion of coach Kim Sang Sik. At that time, the Vietnam U22 team was undefeated and finished second only to host China, creating a significant professional foundation before the series of tasks at the end of the year.
Familiar rivals at Panda Cup 2025
The Vietnam U22 team will face three opponents they previously encountered earlier this year: China, Uzbekistan, and South Korea – valuable benchmarks for testing their progress. This is an opportunity for the U22 squad to measure their improvement within a familiar framework, from their playing pace to their ability to adapt to different styles of play.
Key schedule: assemble on November 9th, aiming for the 33rd SEA Games.
The Vietnam U22 team is expected to assemble on November 9th, have a short preparation period domestically, and then travel to China to participate in the Panda Cup 2025. Immediately after the tournament concludes, the team will enter a crucial training phase starting on November 23rd, considered a dress rehearsal before the 33rd SEA Games.
According to information from the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF), the Vietnam U22 team will be based in Vung Tau to train their physical fitness and tactics, then travel to Thailand on December 2nd to prepare for the 33rd SEA Games. At the regional sporting event, Vietnam U22 is in Group B along with Malaysia U22 and Laos U22.
| Timeline/Event | Detail |
|---|---|
| 6/11 | Vietnam U22 squad announced. |
| 9/11 | Vietnam U22 team convenes domestically. |
| Before the Panda Cup | Prepare for a short stay in Vietnam, then travel to China. |
| Panda Cup 2025 | Rematch against China, Uzbekistan, and South Korea. |
| 23/11 | Training begins ahead of the 33rd SEA Games. |
| 2/12 | Traveling to Thailand to prepare for the 33rd SEA Games. |
| SEA Games 33 | Group B: Vietnam U22, Malaysia U22, Laos U22 |
Professional perspective: inheriting the operational rhythm, optimizing the schedule.
Coach Kim Sang Sik's focus on the national team for the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers simultaneously helps the U22 Vietnam team maintain a unified working style under coach Dinh Hong Vinh – who contributed to their unbeaten streak and runner-up finish in the tournament earlier this year. The repetition of opponents in the 2025 Panda Cup allows for a direct comparison between the two stages, useful for evaluating the effectiveness of preparations before the 33rd SEA Games.
If they achieve good results at the Panda Cup 2025 and then enter the training cycle starting on November 23rd, the Vietnam U22 team will have the necessary psychological momentum and rhythm for the SEA Games 33, and at the same time serve as a springboard for the U23 Asian Championship 2026 campaign early next year.
National Team News: Two New Players Called Up
In related news, the Vietnamese national team's roster for the match against Laos includes two newcomers: Nguyen Tran Viet Cuong and Khong Minh Gia Bao.
With the schedule finalized, the Vietnam U22 team is entering a phase of accelerated training, while the national team is completing its preparations for the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers. Both teams are optimizing their goals, ensuring consistent match schedules and readiness for the year-end milestones.
