U23 Vietnam returns home embraced warmly by fans

Specifically, the U23 Vietnam squad was divided into two groups. Group 1 traveled earlier and included Vice President of the Vietnam Football Federation – Tran Anh Tu, Head of VFF National Teams Department – Doan Anh Tuan, Head Coach Kim Sang Sik, several assistants, and most of the players.

Coach Kim Sang Sik, his assistants, and 18 players reached Noi Bai Airport (Hanoi) at 7:45 PM on January 24.

The second group consisted of 8 coaching staff members and 6 players: goalkeeper Trung Kien, Dinh Hai, Van Binh, Phi Hoang, Quoc Cuong, and Van Ha.

This group departed at 4:35 PM on January 24 and arrived at Noi Bai International Airport at 6:55 AM on January 25.

Around 8:05 PM, Coach Kim Sang Sik and the U23 Vietnam team completed immigration and luggage procedures, preparing to return home for rest after three intense weeks competing in Saudi Arabia.

Mr. Nguyen Danh Hoang Viet, Director of the Vietnam Sports Administration, Mr. Nguyen Hong Minh, Deputy Director of the Vietnam Sports Administration, and representatives from the Vietnam Football Federation were present at the airport to present flowers to Mr. Tran Anh Tu, the head of the U23 Vietnam delegation at the AFC U23 Asian Cup 2026.

Notably, family members of the players and a large crowd of fans braved the cold weather to welcome Coach Kim Sang Sik and his team at Noi Bai Airport.

The parents of center-back Hieu Minh, who was injured during the semifinal against U23 China, joined the large group of fans gathered early at Noi Bai Airport.

They were moved by the affection fans showed the U23 Vietnam team, especially center-back Hieu Minh.

Center-back Hieu Minh was the first to appear at the Noi Bai Airport exit. Due to a ligament injury, he had to use a wheelchair, which was pushed by teammate Ly Duc.

Despite a tiring journey involving two flights and half a day layover in Qatar, the entire team appeared radiant after accomplishing a historic mission on Asia’s biggest stage.

“Congratulations to the players. I’m very proud of the whole team and grateful to Vietnamese fans,” shared Coach Kim Sang Sik.

After a few minutes of taking photos and signing autographs for fans, the U23 Vietnam team members boarded vehicles to return to the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) for rest.

The whole team bid farewell, preparing to return to the V-League competition. Many U23 players will join the Vietnam national team training camp in March to compete in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers.