Calling up 3 overseas Vietnamese stars, Vietnam U23 sets an impressive milestone

For the first time in a decade, a Vietnamese squad has featured such a large number of overseas Vietnamese players, offering new hope for SEA Games 33 and the 2026 U23 Asian Cup.

The Vietnam U23 team will gather from October 4th in Hanoi to prepare for SEA Games 33 and the 2026 U23 Asian Championship. The highlight of this assembly is the inclusion of three overseas Vietnamese players: Vadim Nguyễn, Viktor Lê, and Trần Thành Trung. This marks the first time in 10 years that a Vietnamese team has had so many overseas Vietnamese players called up in a single training camp.

Among them, Nguyễn Vadim, born in 2005 in Russia, is being called up to the Vietnam U23 team for the first time. He has a Vietnamese father and a Russian mother. At 20 years old, the 1.75m tall midfielder currently plays for Da Nang Club and is highly regarded for his versatility, capable of performing well both on the wing and in the center. Notably, he only started competing in the V-League this season.

Lê Viktor, who has Vietnamese-Russian heritage, currently plays for Hong Linh Ha Tinh. He has been with the Vietnam U23 team for over half a year, gaining experience in the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Championship and the 2026 U23 Asian qualifiers. He could be a key figure helping other overseas Vietnamese players quickly adapt to the team.

Trần Thành Trung was born in Bulgaria to a Vietnamese father and Bulgarian mother. He gained attention when joining Ninh Binh Club for a transfer fee exceeding 10 billion VND, becoming one of the most expensive overseas Vietnamese players in V.League history.

Besides these newcomers, the Vietnam U23 team retains familiar faces such as Phạm Lý Đức, Lê Văn Thuận, Nguyễn Văn Trường, and Nguyễn Ngọc Mỹ — players who made notable impacts during the U23 Asian qualifiers.

While head coach Kim Sang Sik is occupied with the national team, the coaching duties for Vietnam U23 have been assigned to coach Đinh Hồng Vinh. The team will train at the Vietnam Youth Football Training Center until October 7th before traveling to the UAE for training and two high-quality friendly matches against Qatar U23 on October 9th and 13th. This is considered an important preparation step as Vietnam U23 aims to successfully defend their gold medal at SEA Games 33 and make a mark at the 2026 U23 Asian Championship.