Coach Kim Sang-sik has called up 26 players for the March training camp, with French-Vietnamese player Jason Quang Vinh Pendant once again missing out.
Jason Quang Vinh Pendant returned to Vietnam to play for Hanoi Police FC in August 2024. The player, born to a French father and Vietnamese mother, expressed his desire to represent his mother’s homeland and received support from his club to complete the citizenship process.
However, some paperwork issues prevented the 1997-born defender from participating in the ASEAN Cup 2024. He continued to hope he could finalize the process before Vietnam began the final qualifiers for the Asian Cup 2027, but ultimately, he couldn’t complete it in time.
Quang Vinh Pendant previously played for Sochaux and Quevilly-Rouen in France’s Ligue 2, as well as New York Red Bulls in Major League Soccer (MLS). He represented France at the U16 and U18 levels but has not played for the senior French national team, making him eligible to play for Vietnam. In his debut season with Hanoi Police FC, Pendant featured in 21 matches, totaling 1,794 minutes—equivalent to 85 minutes per game.
The 28-year-old defender was expected to fill the void left by the still-recovering Doan Van Hau. The national team has struggled to find a reliable replacement at left-back since the era of coach Philippe Troussier. Nguyen Phong Hong Duy, Vo Minh Trong, and Phan Tuan Tai were rotated in the role but failed to provide balance in both attack and defense. Under Coach Kim Sang-sik, the left-back position during the ASEAN Cup 2024-winning campaign saw a rotation between Nguyen Van Vi and Khuat Van Khang.
In this March camp, both Vi and Khang are included. Additionally, the South Korean coach has called up another left-back, Trieu Viet Hung. The Hoang Anh Gia Lai academy graduate initially played as a central midfielder and was part of the squad that won gold at the SEA Games 30 in the Philippines. In 2022, he moved to Hai Phong, where coach Chu Dinh Nghiem regularly deployed him as a left-back.
Of the 26 players summoned this time, 20 were part of the ASEAN Cup 2024-winning squad. Four players are absent due to injuries: defenders Pham Xuan Manh and Ho Tan Tai, and forwards Nguyen Xuan Son and Nguyen Van Toan. Meanwhile, goalkeeper Tran Trung Kien has been called up to the U22 team, and Le Pham Thanh Long is absent for technical reasons.
The five replacements are players with prior national team experience: goalkeeper Nguyen Van Viet, midfielders Tran Bao Toan, Vo Hoang Minh Khoa, Nguyen Thai Son, and Trieu Viet Hung. The only newcomer is Hoang Anh Gia Lai’s Pham Ly Duc. The 2003-born center-back, standing at 1.82 meters, has played the full 90 minutes in 16 matches for his club this season. He has been given a chance with the senior team while remaining part of the U22 plans.
The only overseas Vietnamese player is goalkeeper Nguyen Filip. Coach Kim did not call up Dang Van Lam, despite his nine clean sheets during Ninh Binh’s run of 10 consecutive wins in the National First Division.
This squad includes three goalkeepers, nine defenders, 10 midfielders, and four forwards. Hanoi Police FC, The Cong, and Hanoi FC contribute the most players (four each), followed by Binh Duong and Hoang Anh Gia Lai (three each), Thanh Hoa, Hai Phong, and Ninh Binh (two each), and Song Lam Nghe An and Nam Dinh (one each).
The oldest player is goalkeeper Nguyen Dinh Trieu, born in 1991, while the youngest are center-back Pham Ly Duc, midfielder Nguyen Thai Son, Khuat Van Khang, and forward Bui Vi Hao, all born in 2003. Additionally, the team includes six players born from 1999 onward: Bui Hoang Viet Anh and Truong Tien Anh (1999), Nguyen Thanh Binh, Nguyen Hai Long, Vo Hoang Minh Khoa, and Tran Bao Toan (2000). The team will gather starting March 11 in Binh Duong. Coach Kim Sang-sik and his players will face Cambodia in a friendly on March 19 before taking on Laos in their opening match of Group F in the final Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers on March 25.
Vietnam National Football Team Squad:
Goalkeepers (3): Nguyen Filip (Hanoi Police FC), Nguyen Dinh Trieu (Hai Phong), Nguyen Van Viet (SLNA)
Defenders (9): Vu Van Thanh, Bui Hoang Viet Anh (Hanoi Police FC), Nguyen Thanh Binh, Bui Tien Dung, Truong Tien Anh (The Cong), Nguyen Thanh Chung, Do Duy Manh (Hanoi), Nguyen Van Vi (Nam Dinh), Pham Ly Duc (Hoang Anh Gia Lai)
Midfielders (10): Nguyen Quang Hai (Hanoi Police FC), Khuat Van Khang (The Cong), Nguyen Hai Long (Hanoi), Chau Ngoc Quang, Tran Bao Toan (Hoang Anh Gia Lai), Doan Ngoc Tan, Nguyen Thai Son (Thanh Hoa), Nguyen Hoang Duc (Ninh Binh), Vo Hoang Minh Khoa (Binh Duong), Trieu Viet Hung (Hai Phong)
Forwards (4): Nguyen Tien Linh, Bui Vi Hao (Binh Duong), Pham Tuan Hai (Hanoi), Dinh Thanh Binh (Ninh Binh).
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