U22 Vietnam will face U22 China in the opening match of the Panda Cup 2025.

Previously, in March 2025, the U22 Vietnam team participated in the CFA Team China 2025 tournament under the guidance of acting head coach Đinh Hồng Vinh and secured the runner-up position.

The Chinese website Sohu commented: "The Panda Cup has returned with the strongest lineup ever. South Korea is the model for youth training in Asia, Uzbekistan is rapidly improving, and Vietnamese football has even made significant strides. U22 China will face unprecedented challenges. The progress of U22 Vietnam recently is undeniable."

After their training camp in the UAE with two friendly losses to U22 Qatar (0-1 and 2-3), the U22 Vietnam team returned home on October 14 and released the players back to their clubs.

According to the plan, the U22 Vietnam team will regroup during the FIFA Days in November, alongside the senior national team preparing for the second leg of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers against Laos away on November 18.

The senior national team will temporarily disband after this match and will only regroup in March 2026 to host Malaysia. Meanwhile, U22 Vietnam will maintain continuous training from November until the 33rd SEA Games in Thailand in December 2025.

From this training camp, coach Kim Sang-sik will take direct charge as head coach of U22 Vietnam, replacing assistant coach Đinh Hồng Vinh who previously served as acting coach. His aim is to claim the gold medal at SEA Games 33 before leading the team into the 2026 AFC U23 Championship finals in Saudi Arabia.