U23 Vietnam participates in a friendly tournament in China with 30 players

Coach Kim Sang Sik has been entrusted with leading the U23 Vietnam team to the CFA Team China International Football Tournament – Xi'an 2026. The list of 30 players called up for this tournament was announced this afternoon, March 13.

According to information from the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF), the U23 Vietnam team will assemble in Hanoi from March 17 with 30 summoned players.

This is the first gathering of the U23 Vietnam team since the 2026 AFC U23 Asian Cup and coincides with the FIFA Days March 2026 national team camp. Therefore, assistant coach Đinh Hồng Vinh continues to be trusted by head coach Kim Sang Sik to assume the role of Acting Head Coach of the U23 Vietnam team. During this period, coach Đinh Hồng Vinh has also consistently accompanied the youth teams U22/U23 Vietnam in training camps and international matches, contributing significantly to the positive results of U23 Vietnam.

In this training camp, the goal of the U23 Vietnam team is to continue building a successor generation, as many key players have exceeded the U23 age limit or moved up to the national team. Currently, the coaching staff focuses on reviewing and evaluating the squad to prepare personnel for the men's football event at the Asian Games 2026, scheduled for September, with the core consisting of players aged 2005–2007.

The list of 30 summoned players also clearly shows the continuity of players who have matured from the youth teams U19, U20, U23 Vietnam, such as goalkeeper Phạm Đình Hải, Cao Văn Bình, midfielder Nguyễn Công Phương, Lê Văn Thuận, forward Nguyễn Lê Phát…

Additionally, there are many new faces like Nguyễn Quốc Toản, Nguyễn Anh Tuấn (PVF-CAND), Trần Hải Anh (Quảng Ninh), Nguyễn Trọng Sơn (Bắc Ninh), Tạ Xuân Trường (TTTT II Ninh Bình), Vũ Quốc Anh (Hải Phòng)… promising to create a positive competitive atmosphere within the team.

According to the plan, the U23 Vietnam team will train in Hanoi from March 17. It is expected that on March 23, the coaching staff will reduce the list to 25 players before departing to China to participate in the CFA Team China International Tournament 2026, held in Xi'an from March 25 to March 31.

This year's tournament features four teams: host U23 China, U23 Vietnam, U23 Thailand, and U23 North Korea, competing in a single round-robin format to determine the final rankings.

According to the schedule announced by the organizers, the U23 Vietnam team will face U23 North Korea on March 25, compete against U23 Thailand on March 28, and then challenge host U23 China in the final match on March 31.