Coach Kim Sang Sik and his faith in the new generation

Last weekend, Coach Kim Sang Sik personally witnessed Thanh Trung and Van Thuan shine in the jersey of Ninh Binh Club. He also received positive news about the impressive form of Dinh Bac at CAHN Club.

Along with Trung Kien, Nhat Minh..., they are players who have performed impressively after returning from success at SEA Games 33 and the 2026 U23 Asian Cup qualifiers. With what they have shown and are currently demonstrating, this group of players is ready to compete for positions in the Vietnam national team in the coming period to participate in the AFF Cup and FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026. As old bamboo gives way to new shoots, when these players gradually step through the door of the national team, a new generation of players will be introduced to the Vietnam U23 team.

At the upcoming ASIAD 20 in Japan in September, the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) and Coach Kim Sang Sik decided not to use over-age players. Instead, Vietnam U23 will bring a squad comprising many young players, bolstered by some players who just won the bronze medal at the 2026 U23 Asian Cup.

Currently, fans can easily envision the core squad of Vietnam U23 for the upcoming ASIAD, which will be the U21 generation born in 2005-2007, supplemented by about 5-6 "heroes" who won the bronze medal at the 2026 U23 Asian Cup final tournament.

To simultaneously serve the important tasks of both the Vietnam national team and the Vietnam U23 team, Coach Kim Sang Sik decided to split the Vietnam U23 squad returning from the 2026 U23 Asian Cup final tournament. Among them, players like Dinh Bac, Trung Kien, Van Khang, Nhat Minh... will wear the Vietnam national team jersey to defend the championship title at the AFF Cup.

The remaining players such as Xuan Bac, Minh Phuc, Van Thuan, Le Phat, Van Binh... will focus with the Vietnam U23 team, combining with their U21 juniors to conquer ASIAD 20 in Japan.

Coach Kim Sang Sik has reasons for choosing this personnel plan. He himself is likely to also lead the Vietnam national team at the FIFA ASEAN Cup, the first edition of this tournament. The FIFA ASEAN Cup involves 11 national teams in the Southeast Asia region, organized by FIFA with official ranking points.

For the Vietnam U23 team participating in ASIAD, one of Coach Kim Sang Sik's assistants will be assigned the coaching duty, namely Coach Dinh Hong Vinh, who has been entrusted with temporary leadership responsibilities for this team multiple times.

Vietnamese football is in a period of generational transition, and alongside improving expertise, enhancing skills and tactics, it is essential to build competitive mentality and match experience for young players through regional and continental tournaments.

It can be seen that VFF's direction of utilizing young players has been consistently implemented since ASIAD 19 in Hangzhou. Names like Van Khang, Dinh Bac, or Thai Son were given opportunities from the age of 20, laying the foundation for an impressive series of achievements: winning the 2025 U23 Southeast Asia Championship, the SEA Games 33 gold medal, and the 2026 U23 Asian Cup bronze medal.

Placing faith in the new generation has helped Vietnamese football reap many successes at the U23 level, but we still need more. The Vietnam national team has the task of defending the AFF Cup championship title, and also needs to perform well at the FIFA ASEAN Cup, a tournament held during FIFA Days with FIFA ranking points.

For those competitions, the Vietnam national team needs a new generation of players alongside established names who have brought success in regional arenas.