U23 Vietnam falls into an "easy" group at U23 Southeast Asia 2025

On the morning of May 30, the draw ceremony for the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Championship officially took place in Indonesia. According to the draw results, the U23 Vietnam team fell into Group B with two familiar opponents, U23 Cambodia and U23 Laos. As the defending champion and the team with the best performance in the history of the tournament. With two consecutive championships in 2022 and 2023, the U23 Vietnam team is ranked in the number 1 seed group.

This year’s tournament will take place from July 15 to 31 in Indonesia, bringing together 10 U23 teams from Southeast Asia, divided into 3 groups. Of which, two groups consist of 3 teams and one group consists of 4 teams. The three group winners and the second-placed team with the best results will qualify for the semi-finals.

Continuing the long-term plan that has been implemented since the second half of 2024, Vietnam U23 is currently in the process of joining the National Team during FIFA Days in June 2025. This is an important part of the comprehensive preparation strategy for the three major goals of the year: defending the Southeast Asian U23 championship, participating in the 2026 Asian U23 qualifiers and the 33rd SEA Games.

Over the past year, U23 Vietnam has continuously had training sessions in parallel with the national team, while actively participating in international friendly tournaments such as U22 CFA Team China 2024 and 2025. The matches with strong opponents from Asia have brought valuable opportunities for the coaching staff to compete and test the squad.

It is likely that in the upcoming tournament, head coach Kim Sang-sik will directly lead the U23 Vietnam team instead of handing over the authority to an assistant like in previous times. This is a step that shows the seriousness and determination of the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) in maintaining the No. 1 position in youth football in the region.

With a potential force, careful preparation and extensive combat experience, fans can fully expect U23 Vietnam to continue to compete impressively and successfully defend the title at the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Championship.

Today (May 30), the U22 Vietnam team officially entered the first training session in the gathering period from May 30 to June 6, coinciding with the time and location of the national team within the framework of FIFA Days in June.

This is a training session within the long-term preparation plan for three key goals in 2025: the Southeast Asian U23 Championship, the 2026 Asian U23 qualifiers and the 33rd SEA Games. Within the framework of this training session, U22 Vietnam is expected to have an internal match with the national team to test the force and strengthen the connection between the team levels./.