OFFICIAL: Coach Kim Sang Sik will not lead the Vietnam U23 team.

Because the match schedules of the Vietnam National Team and the Vietnam U23 team coincide, Coach Kim Sang Sik is certain to be unable to travel with the U23 team.

VFF has issued an official announcement regarding accepting an invitation to participate in the CFA Team China – Xi'an 2026 international football friendly tournament, held from March 25 to March 31, 2026 in Xi'an city (China) from the Chinese Football Association. This competition schedule also nearly overlaps with the Vietnam National Team's match schedule in March next year.

Initially, the Vietnam U23 team had no plans to compete in March. However, because the Iran U23 team withdrew due to objective reasons, the Chinese Football Association sent an invitation for the Vietnam U23 team to participate. This year's tournament features four teams including host China U23, Vietnam U23, Thailand U23, and North Korea U23, competing in a single-round format to determine the final rankings.

This is not the first time the Vietnam U23 team and the Vietnam National Team have competed simultaneously. Naturally, at this time, Coach Kim Sang Sik must focus entirely on the national team with the friendly match against Bangladesh and especially the rematch against the Malaysia team in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers.

Thus, Coach Kim Sang Sik will certainly not be able to accompany the Vietnam U23 team during this phase. It is highly likely that a professional assistant of the Korean strategist will be assigned to lead the Vietnam U23 team at the tournament in China, with a high probability that it will again be assistant Đinh Hồng Vinh.

In previous training camps when the Vietnam U23 team also participated in friendly tournaments in China, assistant Đinh Hồng Vinh was always trusted with the responsibility of Acting Head Coach and helped the team achieve impressive results. Therefore, for this training camp, there is likely no change in this arrangement.

To prepare for this tournament, the team Vietnam U23 is expected to assemble on March 17 in Hanoi. This is also part of VFF's plan to build a successor force for the national team, while creating opportunities for young players to accumulate international match experience, aiming towards personnel preparation for the 2026 Asian Games.