U.23 Vietnam is stronger than when it won the Southeast Asian championship

FIRST TIME FOR TRAN THAN T RUNG

The new U.23 Vietnam player, Vietnamese-Bulgarian midfielder Tran Thanh Trung (Ninh Binh FC) only took 40 minutes to catch the eye of coach Kim Sang-sik. In the 2025-2026 V-League, the player born in 2005 played 19 minutes in the match against Ha Tinh , 21 minutes in the match against Thanh Hoa but showed his ability. Notably, in the match against Ha Tinh Club, when Ninh Binh was in a deadlock, Thanh Trung's presence helped the home team improve the game to win 3-1. Thanh Trung's average passing accuracy rate is 93.5%, partly demonstrating his modern, simple and effective playing style. Ninh Binh coach Gerard Albadalejo also highly appreciated his student's football thinking and development potential.

PHOTO: NINH BINH CLUB

It is not easy for Thanh Trung to take the starting position in the U.23 Vietnam team when the team is in the "regime", demonstrated by the 2025 U.23 Southeast Asian Championship. Besides, he has not yet fully adapted to the weather in Vietnam, which is harsh for players from Europe. These will be challenges that this player must overcome if he wants to contribute to Vietnamese football for a long time. However, Thanh Trung also has advantages to speed up the integration process when the U.23 Vietnam team has another overseas Vietnamese player, Le Viktor, and another teammate of his at Ninh Binh Club, Nguyen Quoc Viet.

The U.23 Vietnam team also welcomes the return of Nguyen Thanh Nhan. The striker from Tay Ninh is an important link in coach Kim Sang-sik's tactical system but had to leave the 2025 U.23 Southeast Asian tournament due to injury. When he returns, he will bring more attacking options to the U.23 Vietnam team.

MUST ENTER THE FINAL ROUND OF THE U.23 ASIA TOURNAMENT

The remaining names of the U.23 Vietnam team are also very familiar to fans. Compared to the team that won the championship in Indonesia, only midfielder Nguyen Thanh Dat is absent. With the addition of two quality players, Thanh Trung and Thanh Nhan, the U.23 Vietnam team will clearly improve its strength compared to the U.23 Southeast Asian tournament. Another good thing is that the players in the starting group have all been given opportunities and are showing stable performance in the V-League. Some players are still playing well and confidently, such as Tran Trung Kien, Khuat Van Khang, Nguyen Ngoc My, Le Van Thuan, Nguyen Dinh Bac, etc.

PHOTO: DONG NGUYEN KHANG

In the U.23 Asian qualifiers, the young "Golden Star Warriors" will play at home and only have to face the lower-rated teams, U.23 Bangladesh (September 3), Singapore (September 6) and Yemen (September 9). Therefore, coach Kim Sang-sik and his team have the task of winning the top spot in Group C to enter the 2026 U.23 Asian finals, while also having the confidence and excitement to aim for the gold medal in men's football at the 33rd SEA Games taking place in Thailand later this year.