Vietnam Women's National Team at SEA Games 33: The Vitality of the 'Gen Z' Generation

The Vietnam women's national team will commence SEA Games 33 without several key players such as Duong Thi Van, Nguyen Thi Van, and Chuong Thi Kieu. Nevertheless, this situation creates a chance for the "Gen Z" generation to demonstrate their skills and inject new life into the team’s mission to retain the gold medal.

SEA Games 33is now very close for coach Mai Duc Chung and his team. The Vietnam women's team will open their campaign against Malaysia in Group B on December 5th in Chonburi, Thailand. This SEA Games edition sees coach Mai Duc Chung without the participation of several important players: Chuong Thi Kieu, Nguyen Thi Van, and Duong Thi Van.

For Chuong Thi Kieu, this is the second time the Kiên Giang-born player has missed the region’s largest football festival due to injury. At the AFC Women's Champions League, the 1995-born center-back did not appear in any matches because she had not fully recovered from a ligament injury. In this fast-paced and fiercely contested tournament, coach Doan Thi Kim Chi did not want to risk her prized player. Chuong Thi Kieu’s absence seems to have been anticipated by coach Mai Duc Chung. Currently, he has three alternatives for the central defender position: Diem My, Hai Linh, and Thu Thuong.

The case causing the most concern for coach Mai Duc Chung is Duong Thi Van’s knee injury. Over the past six years, the Vietnam women's team’s playing style has been largely based on the foundation of the "sweeper" Duong Thi Van. The void left by the 1994-born player will certainly be exploited thoroughly by strong opponents like the Philippines and Myanmar. Up front, the Vietnam women's team also loses the dangerous spark Nguyen Thi Van. Although she has recovered from a knee ligament injury, the midfielder from Than Khoang San Vietnam still had to say goodbye to the team due to a recurrence of a collarbone injury.

The absence of these key players unintentionally creates a great opportunity for the young "Gen Z" players of the Vietnam women's team to shine. The position left by Duong Thi Van will likely be taken over by Tran Thi Hai Linh. The 2001-born player just had an explosive season with Hanoi FC. Hai Linh has demonstrated exceptional development and increasing maturity after many years playing only as a substitute on the national team.