CAHN Club is scheduled to compete in the Southeast Asian Club Cup on 3/12 and the AFC Champions League Two on 27/11 and 11/12. The club permitted center-back Pham Ly Duc to join the national squad from the start. However, midfielder Pham Minh Phuc and forward Nguyen Dinh Bac will only be able to join the team on 4/12, meaning they will miss the opening match against Laos.

Vietnam will also be without midfielder Nguyen Van Truong, who was stretchered off in Vietnam's 0-1 loss to South Korea in the final match of the U22 Panda Cup 2025 friendly tournament in China on 18/11. He was diagnosed with a knee ligament injury requiring surgery.

Vietnam forward Nguyen Dinh Bac celebrates an equalizer in the 2-1 victory over the Philippines in the U23 Southeast Asian semi-final 2025, at Gelora Bung Karno stadium, Indonesia, 25/7/2025. Photo: *Hai Tu*.

The long recovery period means Van Truong will miss out on SEA Games 33 and the U23 Asian Championship 2026 finals. "This is a significant loss for the team. Van Truong is a particularly important player in our playing style," stated the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF). "He can play as a central midfielder or an attacking midfielder, possessing an energetic, intelligent playing style that consistently maintains the team's tempo."

Born in 2003, Van Truong developed through the Hanoi youth academy. He and his peer Khuat Van Khang impressed with the U23 team at just 19, contributing to their quarter-final finish at the U23 Asian Championship 2022 under South Korean coach Gong Oh-kyun.

With Van Truong's absence, coach Kim Sang-sik has added two central midfielders: Nguyen Duc Viet and Tran Thanh Trung from Ninh Binh Club. Duc Viet is a product of the HAGL Academy, while Bulgarian-Vietnamese Tran Thanh Trung recently returned to Vietnam after three years playing in the Bulgarian National Championship for CSKA Sofia.

Vietnam midfielder Nguyen Van Truong (red shirt) plays in the 0-1 loss to Uzbekistan in the U22 Panda Cup friendly, at Song Luu stadium, Chengdu, Sichuan province, China on 15/11/2025. Photo: *UFA*.

Additionally, 18-year-old forward Nguyen Le Phat, also from Ninh Binh, has been called up for training. This increases the U22 squad to 28 players, with 25 having participated in the Panda Cup 2025. In that tournament, Vietnam defeated China 1-0 thanks to a goal from Pham Minh Phuc, before losing to Uzbekistan and South Korea by the same score of 0-1.

PVF-CAND and Ninh Binh clubs each contributed four players to the squad. They are followed by Thanh Hoa, The Cong, and CAHN (3 players each); Da Nang, Cong an TP HCM, and HAGL (2 players each); and Hanoi FC, SLNA, Hai Phong, Ha Tinh, and CLB TP HCM (1 player each).

The team will gather in Vung Tau, TP HCM on 23/11, following the round of 16 of the National Cup 2025-2026. By 1/12, coach Kim Sang-sik will finalize the squad list of 23 players to travel to Thailand for SEA Games 33. In Group B of the men's football tournament, Vietnam will face Laos on 4/12 and Malaysia on 11/12.

U22 Vietnam National Football Team Squad:

Goalkeepers (3): Tran Trung Kien (HAGL), Cao Van Binh (SLNA), Nguyen Tan (Cong an TP HCM).

Defenders (8): Le Van Ha (Ha Noi), Vo Anh Quan, Nguyen Hieu Minh (PVF-CAND), Dang Tuan Phong (The Cong), Pham Ly Duc (CAHN), Nguyen Duc Anh (Da Nang), Dinh Quang Kiet (HAGL), Nguyen Nhat Minh (Hai Phong).

Midfielders (11): Nguyen Cong Phuong, Khuat Van Khang (The Cong), Pham Minh Phuc (CAHN), Nguyen Thai Son, Le Van Thuan (Thanh Hoa), Viktor Le (Ha Tinh), Nguyen Thai Quoc Cuong (Cong an TP HCM), Nguyen Phi Hoang (Da Nang), Nguyen Xuan Bac (PVF-CAND), Nguyen Duc Viet, Tran Thanh Trung (Ninh Binh).

Forwards (6): Nguyen Ngoc My (Thanh Hoa), Nguyen Quoc Viet (Ninh Binh), Nguyen Dinh Bac (CAHN), Nguyen Thanh Nhan (PVF-CAND), Bui Vi Hao (CLB TP HCM), Nguyen Le Phat (Ninh Binh).

Hieu Luong