The Vietnamese team knows themselves and knows their opponents...

Setting aside the issue of Malaysia fielding an ineligible player in the first leg of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers, which subsequently triggered a drawn-out legal dispute, Coach Kim Sang Sik must concentrate on his primary duty: ensuring the best preparation for the second leg.

At the 2023 Asian Cup finals (held in early 2024), the Vietnamese team under Coach Philippe Troussier was eliminated right after the group stage due to flawed personnel decisions and misjudgments in assessing opponents and approaching matches. The French coach at that time overly trusted a radical youth-oriented revolution, forgetting that this is a continental stage where we face representatives who played in the World Cup finals, not a regional competition.

We lost to Japan, Iraq, and Indonesia and had to pack our bags early. Along with the failure at the 2023 SEA Games and two defeats against Indonesia in the second round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, Coach Troussier's departure was inevitable.

Vietnamese football before that period had been winning consistently. We successively achieved runner-up at the 2018 U23 Asian Championship, won the Southeast Asian title that same year, reached the quarter-finals of the 2019 Asian Cup, made the semifinals at the Asian Games, and secured a double gold medal at the SEA Games... under Coach Park Hang Seo. So theoretically, such a painful and swift defeat should not have happened. That was precisely due to not knowing the opponent and not knowing oneself.

Taking over the hot seat from his predecessor, Coach Kim Sang Sik naturally faces immense pressure. Only success can secure his position. While Xuan Son provided the solution at the 2024 ASEAN Cup, the championship at the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 tournament, the gold medal at the 2025 SEA Games, and reaching the semifinals of the U23 Asian Championship early in 2026 were truly beyond expectations. Coach Kim Sang Sik is a cautious man, much like his fellow countryman predecessor Park Hang Seo. They are not merely coaches who fight battles, but also bear the traits of strategists, capable of long-term planning.

Looking at the national team roster in recent training sessions reveals a clear sense of continuity. For the matches during this March FIFA Days period, we see the "paired duo" Xuan Son - Hoang Hen in attack, but alongside them are young forwards Viet Cuong and Gia Hung. Defender Nhat Minh and goalkeeper Trung Kien also appear beside seasoned veterans in their respective positions or areas.

In 2026, the most crucial task for the Vietnamese national team is the ASEAN Cup 2026, and thus the two matches in March are an opportunity for Coach Kim Sang Sik to experiment. Young elements, some from the Vietnamese U23 team that recently advanced deep into the 2026 U23 Asian Championship finals, will be gradually integrated. This is called building continuous succession.

Just with Quang Hai - Hoang Duc - Hoang Hen - Xuan Son, we already have a formidable attacking line, without yet needing the punches from the wing corridors, with Van Vi and the return of Doan Van Hau. Thanh Long is also in excellent form this season, and the CAHN midfielder will be another effective drill from the second line.

A fiery offensive display at Thien Truong on the last day of March against Malaysia is something easily anticipated. Four days prior, Coach Kim Sang Sik's team will "conduct a rehearsal" against Bangladesh at Hang Day.

Sun Tzu's Art of War states: "Know the enemy and know yourself, and you will never be imperiled in a hundred battles."