The five players who will not continue with the team are goalkeeper Pham Dinh Hai, defenders Nguyen Hong Phuc and Ho Van Cuong, midfielder Nguyen Duc Viet, and overseas Vietnamese forward Bui Alex.

Among the excluded players, Bui Alex received notable attention. The Vietnamese-origin striker, who currently plays for Bohemians Praha 1905’s youth team in the Czech Republic, was participating in his first training camp with U23 Vietnam and left a positive impression. His presence until the final shortlist marks an important step in his integration into Vietnamese football and opens doors for future call-ups.

“We highly appreciate the effort and spirit shown by all players during training. However, due to registration limits, the coaching staff had to make the most optimal choices for our overall strategy. I hope those not selected this time will stay motivated and be ready for future opportunities,” said Kim

According to the plan, the Vietnam U23 team will depart for Indonesia on July 14 to participate in the tournament, which runs from July 15 to 29. In the group stage, Vietnam have been placed in Group B alongside Laos and Cambodia, with matches scheduled on July 19 and July 22, respectively.

As defending champions for two consecutive editions in 2022 and 2023, Vietnam are expected to make another strong run. However, Kim said he did not put pressure on the players to chase results. What matters is that the players stay focused and united to compete.

“Every match is a chance to learn and grow, and results will come as a natural outcome of that process,” he confided.

The Korean coach also noted that this tournament serves as an important preparatory step for upcoming competitions such as the AFC U23 Asian Cup 2026 qualifiers and SEA Games 33.

“We want to make full use of this tournament to assess the players’ tactical adaptability and match performance in an official competitive environment,” Kim added.

VTV to broadcast live all matches of 2025 ASEAN U23 Championship

VOV.VN - Vietnamese football fans will have more viewing options as Vietnam Television (VTV) has announced it will broadcast live all 16 matches of the 2025 ASEAN U23 Championship, also known as Mandiri Cup™.