Coach Kim Sang-sik plots a bold strategy, the Vietnam team is ready to make a difference

Coach Kim Sang-sik has disclosed that the Vietnam squad is experimenting with various tactical setups prior to their South Korea training camp, with a notable focus on deploying Xuân Son, Tài Lộc, and Hoàng Hên together.

The Vietnam national team has completed the first domestic training phase and is ready to depart for South Korea for an important training camp ahead of the 2026 ASEAN Championship. Before departure, Coach Kim Sang-sik revealed notable tactical considerations, prominently featuring a plan to test several new attacking schemes to create a distinct advantage for the Golden Star warriors.

On the morning of July 1, the Vietnam team completed their final training session at the Vietnam Youth Football Training Center. After more than 10 days of training, Coach Kim Sang-sik stated the whole squad has achieved the goal of improving their physical foundation and will move on to refining tactics upon arriving in South Korea.

One of the most positive signals is the rapid integration of naturalized players. Goalkeeper Patrik Lê Giang and striker Nguyễn Tài Lộc have both left good impressions on the coaching staff, thereby opening up more personnel options for the team: "Patrik Lê Giang and Tài Lộc are integrating very well. Their presence in the national team makes the team much stronger. We need to see how quickly they can adapt and find the right combination with the current players to prepare for the upcoming ASEAN Championship."

Even more notable is that the South Korean strategist is planning to test a trio of players with a "Brazilian flair" comprising Xuân Son, Nguyễn Tài Lộc, and Hoàng Hên. According to Mr. Kim, the coaching staff has not finalized the usage plan but will take advantage of the friendly matches in South Korea to evaluate the effectiveness of each arrangement.

Besides the personnel experiments, the Vietnam team has also received additional support from assistant coach Kim Do Heon. The 48-year-old manager highly values his new colleague, who has many years of experience playing in the K.League as well as the English Premier League, along with considerable coaching experience.

"I believe assistant coach Kim Do Heon will bring great value to Vietnamese football. His experience will greatly benefit the players and the coaching staff in the preparation for the tournament," emphasized Coach Kim Sang-sik.

According to the plan, the Vietnam team will train in Incheon from July 2 to 14 and play three friendly matches against clubs from K.League 1, K.League 2, and K.League 3. This will be an opportunity for the coaching staff to finalize the tactical framework while also testing new options, including the challenge of combining the trio of Xuân Son, Tài Lộc, and Hoàng Hên in the attack.

After the training camp, the team will return home for a friendly against Myanmar on July 18 before embarking on their journey to defend the ASEAN Championship 2026 title with an away match against Timor Leste. With bold experiments and squad reinforcements, Coach Kim Sang-sik hopes to create a new look for the Vietnam national team in their campaign to conquer the Southeast Asian crown.