Vietnam U23 cuts 5 players ahead of matches against Thailand and China

Vietnam U23 will need to trim the roster from 30 down to 25 players prior to departing for China to play a friendly.

The Vietnam U23 national team will regroup on March 17 in Hanoi with a list of 30 summoned players. This training camp is part of the preparation plan for the CFA Team China International Football Tournament – Xi'an 2026, while also aiming for important objectives of the team in the upcoming period.

According to the coaching staff's plan, the Vietnam U23 team will commence training in Hanoi from March 17. During this period, players will be assessed regarding their form, physical condition, and ability to adapt to the team's overall playing style.

It is expected that by March 23, the coaching staff will proceed to shorten the list from 30 to 25 players. These will be the final names selected to travel to China to participate in the CFA Team China International Football Tournament 2026, held in Xi'an from March 25 to March 31.

This current training camp of Vietnam U23 continues to aim at building a successor generation for the country's football. Many players who were pillars of previous U23 squads have exceeded the age limit or been promoted to the national team, so the coaching staff is actively searching and evaluating new talents.

Besides preparing for the friendly tournament in China, the coaching staff also targets the longer-term goal of men's football at the Asian Games 2026 scheduled for September. The core of this squad consists of players aged 2005–2007, many of whom have developed from youth teams such as Vietnam U19, U20, and U23.

The summoned list includes familiar faces such as goalkeeper Phạm Đình Hải, Cao Văn Bình, midfielder Nguyễn Công Phương, Lê Văn Thuận, or forward Nguyễn Lê Phát. Additionally, many new players are also given opportunities 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), and Vũ Quốc Anh (Hải Phòng). At the CFA Team China 2026 tournament, Vietnam U23 will successively face North Korea U23 on March 25, meet Thailand U23 on March 28, before encountering host China U23 on March 31.

HOT: 2 Vietnamese overseas players called up to Vietnam U23

Vietnam U23 officially has a new head coach replacing Head Coach Kim Sang Sik