The U23 Vietnam duo receives a tremendous honor after the U23 Asian Championship

Midfielders Khuất Văn Khang and Nguyễn Công Phương of the U23 Vietnam squad received commendation certificates from the Minister of National Defense on the morning of February 4th.

On February 4th, players Khuất Văn Khang and Nguyễn Công Phương were honored with certificates of merit from the Minister of National Defense for "outstanding achievements, winning the Bronze Medal at the 2026 U23 Asian Football Championship." Both players also received rewards from their club for their efforts in the recent tournament.

The year 2025 marked significant milestones for the two young Thể Công – Viettel players. Regarding Khuất Văn Khang, this midfielder set a rare record, making history in Vietnamese football at all levels. Specifically, no player in Vietnamese football history has achieved what Khuất Văn Khang has so far: four Southeast Asian championships from U15, U23 to the national team, one SEA Games gold medal, and three participations with U23 Vietnam reaching deep stages in the U23 Asian Championship. Born in 2003, this midfielder is also the first and only Vietnamese footballer to participate in three consecutive U23 Asian Championships.

Meanwhile, Công Phương scored the only goal in the match against U23 Indonesia, securing the victory that led U23 Vietnam to their third consecutive U23 Southeast Asian Championship title. At the 2026 U23 Asian Championship finals recently, Công Phương started twice in matches against U23 Saudi Arabia and the semifinal against U23 China.

The contributions of these two players at the U23 Asian Championship further affirm the youth training and talent development efforts of the Thể Công – Viettel club in Vietnamese football.