After a few days of rest with his family in his home country of Korea, today, January 17, head coach Kim Sang-sik returned to Vietnam to prepare for the 2027 Asian Cup Qualifiers and towards the 33rd SEA Games.
Although the Lunar New Year holiday is coming, the "captain" of the Vietnam National Team, coach Kim Sang-sik, still decided to end his vacation early to take advantage of the time to watch the matches in the V-League, check the players' performance and find new faces for the team.
In the coming time, the Korean coach and his assistants will divide the schedule to go to the stadium to watch the matches to ensure the best preparation of the team's forces, before entering the first match of the final qualifying round of the 2027 Asian Cup, taking place on the occasion of FIFA Days in March 2025.
After winning the 2024 ASEAN Cup (AFF Cup), coach Kim Sang-sik has more motivation and confidence to continue towards new goals. In addition to the task of leading the "Golden Dragon Army" to overcome the final qualifying round of the 2027 Asian Cup, the Korean coach is also expected to repeat the achievement of winning the Gold Medal for Vietnamese Football at the 33rd SEA Games, held in Thailand in December 2025.
According to the plan, in order to support coach Kim Sang-sik in preparing best for the above two tasks, the Vietnam U22 Team will be given the opportunity to gather and train with the Vietnam Team during the FIFA Days.
Most recently, in September 2024, the Vietnam U22 team was also given the opportunity to gather, train and participate in an international friendly tournament in China. Next, in the preparation process for the ASEAN Cup 2024, young players with the potential to become the core of the SEA Games squad were also allowed to gather and train with the team, such as goalkeeper Tran Trung Kien, midfielder Khuat Van Khang, Nguyen Van Truong, Nguyen Thai Son, striker Nguyen Dinh Bac, Nguyen Quoc Viet, Bui Vi Hao, among them were players who played in the ASEAN Cup 2024 such as Khuat Van Khang, Bui Vi Hao and had good performances.
University (according to Vietnam+)Vietnam Team's schedule in the final qualifying round of the 2027 Asian Cup:
March 25, 2025: Vietnam vs Laos (home)
June 10, 2025: Vietnam vs Malaysia (away)
September 9, 2025: Vietnam vs Nepal (home)
October 14, 2025: Vietnam vs Nepal (away)
November 18, 2025: Vietnam vs Laos (away)
March 31, 2026: Vietnam vs Malaysia (home)