Vietnamese U19 players take national high school exam in 2026 right after returning home

Following a campaign that fell short of expectations at the 2026 Southeast Asian U19 Championship, numerous young Vietnamese U19 players swiftly moved into another crucial challenge: the high school graduation exam.

The Vietnamese U19 team concluded their journey in the group stage of the 2026 Southeast Asian U19 Championship held in Indonesia. The entire squad left Medan on June 11, transited through Kuala Lumpur, and returned to Hanoi early in the afternoon of the same day.

Notably, the group of players born in 2008 did not return with the team on the common schedule. Names such as Hoang Trong Duy Khang, Nguyen Van Bach, Le Huy Viet Anh (PVF), Le Tan Dung (Song Lam Nghe An), Nguyen Van Khanh (Ha Tinh), Dau Hong Phong, Nguyen Thien Phu (Tre Ha Noi), and Hoa Xuan Tin (CLB Cong An TP.HCM) left Indonesia earlier to attend the national high school graduation exam in Vietnam, held on June 11 and 12.

This is a special milestone for the young players, as they have to pursue both a professional football career and complete their academic studies like their peers.

Among them, the group of students from the PVF Youth Football Training Center includes goalkeeper Nguyen Quoc Anh, defender Tran Cao Cuong, defender Le Huy Viet Anh, midfielder Bui Duy Dang, goalkeeper Phan Dinh Bach, striker Nguyen Van Bach, and striker Le Tuan Anh. They took the exam at Duong Xa High School in Gia Lam, Hanoi.

Additionally, players Nguyen Thanh Long, Hoang Trong Duy Khang, Vu Ky, Trinh Nam Khanh, Dang Van Hung, and Tran Hoang Khanh took the exam at Nguyen Van Cu High School, also in Gia Lam, Hanoi.

After completing the high school graduation exam, the players will return to their home clubs to continue training and competing. This is also an important period for the coaching staff to monitor the form, fitness, and progress of each player before the team reconvenes.

According to the plan, U19 Vietnam is expected to regroup after the 2026 National U21 Championship concludes, around July 29. In the next gathering, the team is likely to make adjustments and add to the squad to prepare for more important goals at the continental level.

From August 8 to 17, U19 Vietnam will have a training camp in Japan. This is seen as a necessary preparation step for the whole team to improve professional quality, perfect gameplay, and enhance competitiveness ahead of the 2027 AFC U20 Asian Cup qualifiers.

According to the draw results, U20 Vietnam is in Group C alongside Iran, North Korea, and Palestine. This group is considered challenging, as Iran is a top seed with a strong tradition in Asian youth football.