Vietnam U22 will be missing 3 players at their first training session.
On the afternoon of November 24th, the Vietnam U22 team began their SEA Games 33 preparation with 25 out of 28 players at the Ba Ria stadium; three players from CAHN will join the team on November 28th after the match against Beijing FC, before finalizing the 23-player roster.
On the afternoon of November 24th, the Vietnam U23 team held their first training session at the Ba Ria stadium, kicking off their preparation phase for the 33rd SEA Games. At the time of roll call, coach Kim Sang Sik had 25 out of 28 players present; the group who had just played in the Round of 16 of the 2025/26 National Cup only did light training to recover their fitness.
The three absent players, Pham Ly Duc, Nguyen Dinh Bac, and Pham Minh Phuc, will join the team on November 28th, after playing with CAHN FC against Beijing FC in the AFC Champions League Two 2025/26. Compared to the original plan, the duo Dinh Bac and Minh Phuc were only expected to return from December 4th after CAHN's match against Buriram on December 3rd in the Southeast Asian Club Championship 2025/26; therefore, their earlier return is considered positive news for the preparation progress.
25 out of 28 players were present, the opening pace was moderate.
For the group of players who just played in the Round of 16 of the 2025/26 National Cup, the training session mainly focused on recovery and warm-up. The rest involved technical and tactical training at an appropriate intensity. The focus of this phase, according to the coaching staff's plan, is to refine tactics, perfect the team's lineup, and assess the performance of each position before finalizing the official 23-player roster.
Gathering the full squad earlier than initially planned gave the coaching staff more time to test personnel options and smoothly transition the players from their busy club schedules to the national team's training camp.
The locker room: Bui Vi Hao's frankness.
Before training, Bui Vi Hao shared his thoughts on the opportunity to participate in the 33rd SEA Games: “The final list is not yet certain, but if I get to participate, this will be my first SEA Games. I will try my best but won't demand too much because I've just returned and need time to regain my best form.”
Regarding the team's goals, Vi Hao emphasized his confidence: "The team has gone through many tournaments together and achieved success. We are completely confident in aiming for the highest goal."
Key schedules and their impact on the troop selection process.
- November 24th: First training session at Ba Ria Stadium, kicking off preparations for the 33rd SEA Games.
- November 28th: Pham Ly Duc, Nguyen Dinh Bac, and Pham Minh Phuc rejoin the team after the CAHN – Beijing FC match (AFC Champions League Two 2025/26).
- 3/12: CAHN will face Buriram in the 2025/26 Southeast Asian Club Championship (the initial date that led to the expected return of the duo Dinh Bac and Minh Phuc later).
- Ahead of the tournament: The coaching staff is expected to finalize the list of 23 players to travel to Thailand to compete.
From an organizational standpoint, the absence of 3 players on opening day doesn't cause major disruption, as the attendance rate is 25/28. More importantly, the November 28th mark will give the team almost enough players to finalize tactical drills and conduct a final assessment for each position before the roster is shortened.
The focus of expertise in the coming period
The U22 Vietnam team will continue to hone their organization, rhythm, and cohesion among the groups of players who have just returned from their clubs. Alongside this, monitoring of the workload for the group participating in the demanding 2025/26 National Cup will be maintained to ensure their physical condition before gradually increasing the intensity.
The short-term goal is to finalize the 23-player roster, while the bigger goal is to realize the ambition of winning a Gold Medal at the 33rd SEA Games – something the players emphasized on the very first day of training.