A series of U23 stars officially debut for the Vietnam National Team

Trung Kiên and Hiểu Minh will make their official debut for the Vietnam National Team in a competitive match.

Compared to the first leg a few days ago, Coach Kim Sang Sik, while largely maintaining the core lineup of Vietnam against Nepal, made some notable changes. Notably, goalkeeper Trung Kiên and Hiểu Minh started the match, marking their first appearances for the Vietnam National Team.

As expected, Trung Kiên was chosen to replace Văn Lâm. This overseas Vietnamese goalkeeper showed weaknesses in foot skills, and Trung Kiên is a worthy substitute. Although still young, born in 2003, he has been regularly called up to the national team, performed well for HAGL, and is now ready to be the starting goalkeeper for Vietnam.

Meanwhile, Hiểu Minh was given the opportunity due to senior player Bùi Tiến Dũng’s injury preventing him from playing. Coach Kim Sang Sik had limited options for the center-back position, and Hiểu Minh was the most promising choice. In previous U23 Vietnam squads, Hiểu Minh was always the first-choice center-back.

In the first leg, Coach Kim Sang Sik was cautious and did not start any young U23 players from the beginning. Thanh Nhàn and Đình Bắc were later given chances, but these names were already familiar from the Vietnam National Team under Coach Troussier.

The October call-up list for the Vietnam National Team includes 8 young players from the U23 squad that recently won the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Championship and qualified for the 2026 Asian U23 qualifiers: Trần Trung Kiên, Khuất Văn Khang, Nguyễn Hiểu Minh, Nguyễn Xuân Bắc, Nguyễn Thanh Nhàn, Nguyễn Phi Hoàng, Nguyễn Nhật Minh, and Nguyễn Đình Bắc.

Among them, besides Hiểu Minh and Trung Kiên who debuted as starters against Nepal, Nhật Minh, Xuân Bắc, and Phi Hoàng have yet to play an official match for the Vietnam National Team. Hopefully, this trio will get a chance if Coach Kim Sang Sik decides to make substitutions.