Football 

The Vietnamese women's football team train in China ahead of their Asian Games campaign in Japan later this month. — Photo courtesy of VFF

HÀ NỘI — Both the Vietnamese men's and women's football teams are stepping up preparations for the upcoming 20th Asian Games (ASIAD) in Japan latter this month.

The women's squad began a 10-day intensive training camp in Suzhou, China, on September 2. The camp will be their final stage of preraration ahead of the Games, which are held every four years.

According to coach Hoàng Văn Phúc, his players will work to improve their stamina after the gruelling national championship. At the same time, they will fine-tune their tactics ahead of challenging matches at the Games.

Two friendly matches will also be played during the training camp.

The first will be on September 5 against Jiangsu Nanjing FC, while the second will be four days later against the Chinese national women's team, who are ranked 16th in the world.

Phúc said the two games would be important for his team, as the coaching staff would be able to assess the players' progress, while the players could improve their coordination and sharpen their tactics.

The best 11 players will be selected through these matches, he added.

After Suzhou, the team will travel to Japan, where the competition will begin on September 14.

Việt Nam are in the same group as Chinese Taipei, Thailand and Japan. It is a tough group, as Japan are among the world's top teams, while Chinese Taipei and Thailand are experienced Asian opponents.

On September 14, Việt Nam will play Chinese Taipei in their opening match. Three days later, they will face Japan, and their group round will end with a clash against Thailand on September 21.

Historically, Việt Nam's best ASIAD result came in South Korea in 2014, when they finished fourth.

On the men's side, head coach Kim Sang-sik will hand over the U23 team to his Vietnamese assistant Đinh Hồng Vinh for the competition, as the South Korean coach will be busy with the national team at the FIFA ASEAN Cup, which will be held around the same time.

Coach Đinh Hồng Vinh and his players during their previous training camp in July. The team will reconvene in the coming days to prepare for the ASIAD. — Photo courtesy of VFF

Vinh said he expects all 23 players to begin training after the second round of the national championship. 

The team's line-up has taken shape after a friendly tournament in China in March and their most recent training camp from July 29 to August 8 in Hà Nội.

The squad includes familiar faces who won gold at the 33rd SEA Games and bronze at the Asian U23 Cup, including goalkeeper Cao Văn Bình, defender Đặng Tuấn Phong, midfielders Lê Văn Thuận, Nguyễn Xuân Bắc, Nguyễn Công Phương, Nguyễn Phi Hoàng and Lê Phát, and strikers Nguyễn Thanh Nhàn and Nguyễn Quốc Việt.

Vietnamese-Bulgarian midfielder Trần Thành Trung is also expected to make his mark during this camp after missing major events in 2025 and earlier this year.

Emerging players such as Lê Đình Long Vũ, Nguyễn Minh Tâm, Trương Nhạc Minh and Hoàng Quang Dũng could also earn places in the starting line-up following their performances at club level.

In Japan, Việt Nam will play Kuwait on September 15, the Philippines on September 18 and Uzbekistan four days later. After the round-robin stage, the top two teams will advance to the quarter-finals.

Việt Nam Football Federation Vice President Trần Anh Tú said the ASIAD would be an important step for the young Vietnamese squad in preparing for other international competitions, including their title defence at the 34th SEA Games in Malaysia next year.

Vinh and his players have been asked to go as far as possible at the Games.

The Vietnamese men's best-ever result at the Asian Games was a fourth-place finish in 2018. — VNS