Coach Kim added 5 U.23 Vietnam players: Surprisingly, there are Bui Alex and Ho Van Cuong

Finalized official list of U.23 Vietnam

On July 11, Coach Kim Sang-sik completed the official list of U.23 Vietnam to participate in the 2025 Southeast Asian U.23 tournament.

Compared to the initial list of 28 players, the Korean coach decided to remove 5 more names including: Goalkeeper Pham Dinh Hai, defender Nguyen Hong Phuc, Ho Van Cuong, midfielder Nguyen Duc Viet, striker Bui Alex (the Vietnamese-Czech player did not have a good performance in the recent second-leg practice match against U.23 Taiwan).

HLV Kim loại thêm 5 cầu thủ U.23 Việt Nam: Bất ngờ có Bùi Alex, Hồ Văn Cường- Ảnh 1. — Bui Alex was eliminated.

HLV Kim loại thêm 5 cầu thủ U.23 Việt Nam: Bất ngờ có Bùi Alex, Hồ Văn Cường- Ảnh 2. — Ho Van Cuong has no luck with U.23 Vietnam this time

These are all faces who, despite their best efforts, have not been able to convince coach Kim Sang-sik. The players will return to their home teams to continue training. However, the door to Vietnam U.23 is always open to everyone. Coach Kim's potential "young shoots" will wait for the next training sessions, such as the August session to prepare for the 2026 U.23 Asian qualifiers or November to prepare for the 33rd SEA Games.

Thus, the official list of U.23 Vietnam to play in the 2025 Southeast Asian U.23 tournament will include 23 players.

To prepare for the U.23 Southeast Asian tournament, U.23 Vietnam had two friendly matches with U.23 Taiwan. Coach Kim Sang-sik's team won 5-0 and 2-1, respectively, with positive performances in all three teams.

HLV Kim loại thêm 5 cầu thủ U.23 Việt Nam: Bất ngờ có Bùi Alex, Hồ Văn Cường- Ảnh 3. — Two group stage matches of U.23 Vietnam

Striker Nguyen Dinh Bac affirmed: "The two friendly matches with U23 Chinese Taipei helped the whole team have better connections before the U23 Southeast Asian tournament. During the training sessions, coach Kim and the coaching staff always convey fighting spirit and training awareness so that the whole team can maintain the best quality."

U.23 Vietnam has undergone 2 rounds of squad purification, with a total of 13 players leaving the team compared to the original list. Coach Kim Sang-sik also had 3 weeks to work to evaluate the overall potential of the current generation of players, both in terms of playing mindset, tactics, competitive spirit and attitude towards living and training. This is Mr. Kim's first long training session with U.23 Vietnam.

HLV Kim loại thêm 5 cầu thủ U.23 Việt Nam: Bất ngờ có Bùi Alex, Hồ Văn Cường- Ảnh 4. — U.23 Southeast Asia Tournament broadcast on FPT Play

In the last 6 months of the year, Coach Kim Sang-sik will focus on the U.23 Vietnam team to participate in 3 major tournaments, including the U.23 Southeast Asia 2025 (July), the U.23 Asia 2026 qualifiers (September) and the 33rd SEA Games (December). The tournaments are a stepping stone for Mr. Kim to select potential players, ready to succeed his seniors in the Vietnam team.

According to the plan, U.23 Vietnam will continue to practice in Ho Chi Minh City until July 12, then move to Indonesia on the morning of July 14. Vice President of the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) Tran Anh Tu will take on the role of head of the U.23 Vietnam delegation at this tournament.

The 2025 Southeast Asian U.23 Championship will take place from July 15 to 29. Vietnam U.23 will face Laos U.23 on July 19 and Cambodia U.23 on July 22 in Group B.