Coach Kim Sang Sik has to cut one player from the Vietnam U23 squad

With 24 players called up to the Vietnam U23 team, one name will be dropped before the final roster is confirmed.

On the evening of August 25th, head coach Kim Sang Sik announced the Vietnam U23 squad for the 2026 AFC U23 Asian Cup qualifiers. Among the 24 players summoned, notable is the inclusion of Trần Thành Trung (Do Chung Nguyen), a Vietnamese overseas player recently returned from Bulgaria.

Having returned to Vietnam just over a month ago and played two V-League matches, coach Kim Sang Sik decided to call up Chung Nguyen Do to the U23 Vietnam team. However, with the current list at 24 players, the Korean coach must cut one player since the official tournament roster is limited to 23 players.

Overall, the Vietnam U23 squad preparing for the 2026 AFC U23 Asian Cup qualifiers remains almost unchanged from the team that won the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Championship recently. Notably, striker Thanh Nhàn returns after missing the Indonesia tournament due to injury.

The only player from the Vietnam U23 team that won the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Championship not called up is Nguyễn Thành Đạt. The Viettel-contracted player, loaned to Bình Phước, had an unremarkable performance in the tournament, playing only one match. Chung Nguyen Do replaces Thành Đạt in this squad.

Although called up, Chung Nguyen Do will need to perform well to compete in Vietnam U23’s crowded midfield, where players like Văn Trường, Thái Sơn, Viktor Lê, Xuân Bắc, and Công Phương are also strong contenders.

In this training camp, Vietnam U23 faces their second major task of 2025: the 2026 AFC U23 Asian Cup qualifiers, following their successful defense of the Southeast Asian U23 Championship title. This is also an important preparation step towards SEA Games 33. Therefore, the call-up list retains the core from the recent regional tournament to maintain stability in the squad and playing style.

According to the schedule, the Vietnam U23 team will gather and train in Việt Trì (Phú Thọ) starting August 30th. In Group C of the 2026 AFC U23 Asian Cup qualifiers, coach Kim Sang Sik’s team will face U23 Bangladesh (September 3rd), U23 Singapore (September 6th), and U23 Yemen (September 9th).