Many players left the Vietnam U22 team after the Panda Cup because of the National Cup.
Round of 16 of the 2025/2026 National Cup brings many U22 Vietnam players back to their clubs; the team trained in Ba Ria Vung Tau from November 23-30, flew to Thailand on December 1, and coach Dinh Hong Vinh was absent.
While the V-League takes a nearly three-month break to make way for the SEA Games 33 and the 2026 U23 Asian Championship, the Round of 16 of the 2025/2026 National Cup continues, forcing many U22 Vietnam national team players to temporarily leave the team after the 2025 Panda Cup to return to their clubs. This group of players will rejoin the team as early as the evening of November 24th, while the coaching staff and the rest of the team will begin training in Ba Ria Vung Tau from November 23rd.
Those who temporarily left the team to play in the National Cup.
According to the schedule for the Round of 16 of the 2025/2026 National Cup, many U22 Vietnam players will have to return to their clubs, including:
- Viktor Lê (Hong Linh, Ha Tinh)
- Dinh Bac, Ly Duc, Minh Phuc (Hanoi Police)
- Khuat Van Khang, Cong Phuong, Dang Tuan Phong (The Cong - Viettel)
- Nhat Minh (Hai Phong)
- Quoc Viet (Ninh Binh)
- Nguyen Tan, Quoc Cuong (Ho Chi Minh City Police)
The aforementioned group of players will join the Vietnam U22 team as early as the evening of November 24th. The remaining squad, under the guidance of coach Kim Sang Sik, will train in Ba Ria Vung Tau from November 23rd.
Training and travel schedule leading up to the 33rd SEA Games.
After returning from the Panda Cup 2025, the Vietnam U22 team immediately began their next preparation phase for the 33rd SEA Games. The team will train in Ba Ria from November 25th to 30th. On the afternoon of November 30th, the entire team will travel to Ho Chi Minh City to rest before flying to Thailand.
At exactly 11:35 AM on December 1st, the Vietnam U22 team departed from Suvarnabhumi International Airport (Bangkok). They then took a connecting domestic flight to Hat Yai Airport (Songkhla province), landing at 6:30 PM the same day. Due to arriving in Songkhla quite late, around 8 PM, coach Kim Sang Sik arranged for the entire team to rest the following morning to recover. Their first training session in Thailand took place on the afternoon of December 2nd.
| Time | Content |
|---|---|
| 23/11 | Concentrate in Ba Ria Vung Tau (remaining group) |
| Evening of November 24th | The group of players who returned from their clubs joined the training camp earliest. |
| 25-30/11 | Training in Ba Ria |
| Afternoon of November 30th | Travel to Ho Chi Minh City |
| 11:35 AM, December 1st | Fly to Suvarnabhumi (Bangkok) |
| 6:30 PM, December 1st | Arriving at Hat Yai (Songkhla) Airport |
| Around 8 PM, December 1st | Arrive in Songkhla, rest and recover. |
| Afternoon of December 2nd | First training session in Thailand |
The competition context and the need for personnel adjustments.
Despite the extended break in the V-League, the schedule for the Round of 16 of the 2025/2026 National Cup has created certain disruptions to the plans of the Vietnam U22 team. The division of players among clubs means that the timeframe for assembling the team and finalizing preparations for the SEA Games 33 needs to be adjusted according to each training camp's schedule.
During this training camp and at the SEA Games 33, the Vietnam U22 team will be without coach Dinh Hong Vinh due to personal commitments. This is a change in coaching staff personnel that the team had identified early in their plans.
A detailed schedule and clear travel milestones helped the Vietnam U22 team maintain their preparation pace amidst personnel changes due to the National Cup competition. From Ba Ria Vung Tau to Songkhla, the entire team finalized all necessary arrangements to be ready for the SEA Games 33.
