U23 Vietnam feels confident after their training camp in the UAE.

16/10/2025 11:54:00 ChampionChatter

The U23 Vietnam team wrapped up their training camp in the UAE with valuable experiences and confidence for the upcoming journey.

The highlight of the UAE trip was two international friendly matches against U23 Qatar. In the first friendly, U23 Vietnam lost 0-1. In the second friendly, they were defeated 2-3. Despite not winning, U23 Vietnam showed a positive spirit, discipline, and quick adaptability to tactical requirements.

A positive point was that U23 Vietnam experimented extensively with personnel in the rematch against U23 Qatar. The coaching staff gave chances to young players who had little or no playing time in the previous match. New names such as Nguyễn Tân, Quang Kiệt, Tuấn Phong, Nam Hải, Minh Phúc, Thành Chung, Thái Sơn, Thành Đạt, Long Vũ, Lê Phát, and Văn Thuận all played to prove themselves.

Facing a high-level opponent like U23 Qatar was very useful. Especially, rotating the entire squad helped the coaching staff gain important assessments of player abilities, adaptability, and identify more quality players. This provides Coach Kim Sang Sik a good foundation for upcoming preparations before SEA Games 33 and the 2026 AFC U23 Championship.

Looking back at the short training camp, interim coach Đinh Hồng Vinh highly praised the spirit, attitude, and eagerness of the entire U23 Vietnam team: "The players always maintain a learning spirit, a strong desire to prove themselves, and especially unity both in daily life and during training. This is commendable and forms an important foundation for future goals. It was a great opportunity for new faces to show themselves, and many players left a positive impression. Although they still lack international experience, they are improving with every training session and match."

The starting lineup of U23 Vietnam in the second friendly against U23 Qatar in the UAE. Photo: VFF

Coach Đinh Hồng Vinh also saw the two matches against U23 Qatar as valuable opportunities to implement tactics, playing style, and test player adaptability against a high-level Asian opponent: "The players showed good fighting spirit, adhered to tactics, and demonstrated improvement in transitions, pressing, and attacking organization. Of course, there are still areas to improve, especially quick decision-making in tight spaces, maintaining consistent intensity throughout 90 minutes, and finishing ability."

From this, it is clear that young players need to develop their ability to withstand pressure and mental strength in important matches. Young players still struggle to cope and lack experience in crucial games, which must be frankly acknowledged. Controlling match psychology and keeping calm in critical moments need to be better executed by young players.

With what has been accumulated, this is an important preparation step in U23 Vietnam’s long-term roadmap. Training camps like this help the coaching staff accurately assess each player’s ability, test tactical options, and help players get used to the intensity and style of West Asian teams—essential for continental competition. All efforts aim to build a deep, resilient, and highly competitive squad for SEA Games 33 and the 2026 AFC U23 Championship.

The strong progress of young players recently marks the beginning of their path to self-improvement and achieving future goals. For now, U23 players must focus on securing their positions in V-League clubs. Playing more matches will help them improve skills, gain experience, and mature. This is the most effective way for young players to develop.

The message U23 Vietnam sends is that they have prepared well for SEA Games 33, along with making the right decisions in building the national team for the near future.

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