Vietnam women's national team determined to rejuvenate squad ahead of Asian Cup finals

Following the 1-0 win against Uzbekistan, the Vietnam women's national team returned to training on the morning of January 28, concentrating on the upcoming 2026 Asian Cup finals. Coach Mai Đức Chung highlighted the critical role of integrating younger talent into the team moving forward.

According to the coaching staff’s plan, the training session was divided into two groups. Players who had significant playing time in the previous friendly match underwent light recovery and relaxation exercises. Meanwhile, the other group continued with fitness drills combined with tactical and technical training, focusing on game organization, transitions, and group coordination according to tactical requirements.

Before starting the training session, Head Coach Mai Đức Chung spent time discussing and reviewing with the entire team, while also giving specific reminders to individual players to promptly address any issues that arose after the friendly match.

Speaking to the media, Head Coach Mai Đức Chung revealed that this training camp includes adding several young players to deepen the squad and build a successor pool: “During this period, we have called up some young athletes to mentor, develop their skills, and help them adapt to the team’s playing style. The female football talent pool is not as abundant as the men's, so selection must be very careful.”

Coach Mai Đức Chung also mentioned that more young faces will be invited to join the team soon: “We will add two more players to the squad in the near future to continue training and strengthen the team. Hopefully, they will quickly integrate with the senior players to foster better cohesion.”

Regarding the significance of friendly matches against strong opponents, Head Coach Mai Đức Chung sees these as vital opportunities for players, especially newcomers, to gain international match experience: “These friendly games help players get familiar with potential opponents we might face soon. For young players, it’s a chance to experience and accumulate valuable international exposure.”

Concerning upcoming goals, Head Coach Mai Đức Chung affirmed the team will pursue two simultaneous objectives: rejuvenating the squad and striving for success at the Women's Asian Cup finals: “We are working on both targets at once: refreshing the squad while aiming for the important goal of qualifying for the World Cup.”

On the competition outlook, Coach Mai Đức Chung believes the group stage will be fiercely contested: “Japan is more advanced, ranking among Asia’s top teams. The other three teams—Vietnam, India, and Chinese Taipei—will compete for the remaining direct qualification spot. If we don’t secure a direct spot, there’s still the playoff round opportunity.”

Earlier, on January 27, the Vietnam women’s team secured a 1-0 win in a friendly against Uzbekistan.