Coach Kim Sang Sik will not be leading Vietnam U22 at the China tournament

Coach Kim Sang Sik will not directly coach Vietnam U22 in the CFA Team China Panda Cup 2025 friendly competition.

On the afternoon of November 6, the Vietnam U22 squad call-up list has been officially announced. The entire team will soon gather before heading to China to participate in the CFA Team China Panda Cup 2025 friendly tournament.

In this edition, Vietnam U22 will face the same opponents they met earlier this year in the CFA Team China 2025, playing consecutively against China, Uzbekistan, and South Korea.

Notably, Coach Kim Sang Sik will not accompany Vietnam U22 to the populous nation. The reason is that the Korean strategist wants to focus entirely on the Vietnam senior national team’s preparation for the away match in Laos as part of the fifth round in Group F of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers.

According to the plan, the acting head coach role will be assigned to Mr. Đinh Hồng Vinh, who has many years of experience coaching youth teams. Vietnam U22 is expected to assemble on November 9, then undergo a short domestic training period before departing for China.

Previously, Coach Đinh Hồng Vinh was entrusted with the interim head coach position for Vietnam U22 during the CFA Team China 2025 friendly tournament earlier this year, upon Kim Sang Sik’s recommendation. In that tournament, Vietnam U22 showed impressive form with an unbeaten streak, finishing second behind host China.

As for Vietnam U22, immediately after concluding the Panda Cup 2025, the team will enter an important training phase, considered the final rehearsal before SEA Games 33, starting on November 23.

According to the plan revealed by VFF, acting head coach Đinh Hồng Vinh and his players will train in Vũng Tàu to build fitness and tactics before moving to Thailand on December 2 to prepare for the region’s biggest sports event. At SEA Games 33, Vietnam U22 is placed in Group B along with Malaysia U22 and Laos U22.

If they perform well, Vietnam U22 will have a good momentum heading into the 2026 AFC U23 Championship campaign early next year, a tournament that left a lasting impression on local fans, especially the runner-up finish in 2018 under Coach Park Hang Seo.

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