Vietnam U22 at SEA Games 33: Doors Closing and Opening

Yesterday (December 1), the Vietnam U22 team held their first training session in Bangkok, Thailand, officially starting their mission to capture the men's football gold medalat SEA Games 33, and although the final results of the team remain unknown, from the perspective of player selection alone, coach Kim Sang Sik can certainly be regarded as a master strategist.

Among the five players cut so that Vietnam U22 could depart for Thailand with the 23-man roster as required by the organizers, some had accompanied coach Kim Sang Sik in several key tournaments for Vietnam U22 in 2025, such as Lê Văn Hà; some were coach Kim’s favorites in the Vietnam national team at the 2024 ASEAN Cup, like Bùi Vĩ Hào; and others were highly anticipated due to their development in European football environments, such as Trần Thành Trung.

However, together with center-back Đinh Quang Kiệt and midfielder Nguyễn Đức Việt, these three players had to stay home and watch SEA Games 33 on television. Importantly, coach Kim Sang Sik’s decisions did not spark any controversies in the media or on social platforms.

Văn Hà, Quang Kiệt, and Đức Việt were dropped simply because their form was not strong enough to keep them in the Vietnam U22 squad. Meanwhile, although Thành Trung is among the most skilled overseas Vietnamese players to have returned to Vietnamese football in the past five years, he has had very little time with Vietnam U22 specifically and Vietnamese football generally, so including a player still adapting to the team in a short and intense tournament like SEA Games would likely be an unsuitable choice.

Similarly, if he had not just recovered from injury, Vĩ Hào would certainly have been included in the official 23-man Vietnam U22 squad. However, coach Kim Sang Sik did not want to risk a spot in the SEA Games 33 attacking lineup for a player like Vĩ Hào, who has not played regularly in the V-League recently, so this player unfortunately missed the 2025 Southeast Asian Games.