The Vietnamese national team suddenly held a closed training session—what is Coach Kim Sang Sik planning?

Coach Kim Sang Sik unexpectedly had the Vietnamese national team train behind closed doors to prepare for hosting Singapore at My Dinh Stadium on July 31, as part of the third matchday of Group A at the ASEAN Cup 2026.

According to an announcement from the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) this morning, July 27, the Vietnamese national team will train behind closed doors on July 27 and 28 to prepare for the match against Singapore.

Meanwhile, the training session on July 29 will take place at the Vietnam Youth Football Training Center. The following day, the team will practice at My Dinh National Stadium to get familiar with the playing surface.

This is the first time since the start of the ASEAN Cup 2026 that the Vietnamese national team has completely closed its doors to the press. Coach Kim Sang Sik wants his players to maintain the highest level of focus to secure a second victory in the group stage of the ASEAN Cup 2026. Notably, in the two training sessions on July 29 and 30, reporters will only be allowed to cover the first 15 minutes when the team is warming up.

Due to having a bye in the second matchday of Group A, the coaching staff and players of the Vietnamese national team have the opportunity to watch the other remaining opponents play, especially Singapore—the team that will visit My Dinh Stadium on July 31. Compared to Indonesia, Singapore is not rated as highly but is still considered a stronger opponent than Timor Leste. Therefore, the Vietnamese team must be cautious, avoid mistakes, especially since this match is likely to be decisive for an early ticket to the semifinals of the ASEAN Cup 2026.

Because the break between the two matchdays for the Vietnamese team lasts seven days, Coach Kim Sang Sik does not need to worry about saving energy for key players. The Vietnamese national team can fully host Singapore with their strongest lineup.

As of now, the only player who has not been able to train with the whole team due to injury is goalkeeper Dang Van Lam. However, another Vietnamese goalkeeper of overseas origin, Le Giang Patrik, has been in great form with two consecutive clean sheets in the Vietnamese national team's colors and can become a reliable last line of defense.

Any changes, if any, to the Vietnamese national team in the upcoming match against Singapore are likely to come in the attack with the return of naturalized player Nguyen Tai Loc. However, Coach Kim Sang Sik will not find it easy to make a decision because if he uses Tai Loc as a starter, there is a possibility that Nguyen Dinh Bac—the player who scored a hat-trick in the 7-0 victory over Timor Leste and was voted Man of the Match—will have to sit on the bench.

This is a difficult problem, and Coach Kim Sang Sik will have to find a solution in the remaining training sessions, especially the two closed-door sessions. If Tai Loc is left on the bench, the quality of this player may not be fully utilized. Meanwhile, dropping Dinh Bac from the starting lineup is also a decision that carries many risks after his brilliant performance in the opening match. Another option is to arrange Tai Loc to play as an attacking midfielder to increase creativity and attacking power for the Vietnamese national team.

However, this choice also comes with certain consequences because the midfield could become unbalanced if too many attack-minded players are used, especially when Singapore is considered to have a more organized playing style than Timor Leste.