Vietnam confirms squad list for World Cup qualifiers

In the official list announced Tuesday, Park crossed out 10 names - goalkeepers Nguyen Van Hoang and Pham Van Phong, defenders Tran Van Kien, Do Thanh Thinh and Nguyen Minh Tung, midfielders To Van Vu, Pham Xuan Manh and Cao Van Trien, forwards Phan Van Long and Nguyen Anh Duc.

Chosen players are mostly familiar faces that have played for Vietnam in previous tournaments along with a few new talents.

Park also added midfielder Nguyen Hai Long to the list, who was training with the U22 team in Hanoi to prepare for SEA Games 31. With keeper Dang Van Lam joining the team later in the UAE, Vietnam will bring 29 players to the World Cup qualifiers. Due to Covid-19, the tournament organizer allowed this additional number of players instead of the typical 23, of which six will be backups rotated before each game. This means every player can enjoy field time.

The list received different opinions from fans, with some saying there were unfortunate "snubs", namely midfielder Cao Van Trien, one of the most promising talents of Vietnamese football at present and versatile player To Van Vu, who can play as a full-back and winger.

The team will fly to the UAE on Wednesday afternoon. To adapt to the scorching weather in the UAE, Vietnam decided to go there a week earlier than scheduled by the Asian Football Confederation.

They will take Covid-19 tests at the airport in Dubai before transferring to their hotel. On May 31, the team will play a friendly with Jordan.

The Golden Dragons will play Indonesia on June 7, Malaysia on the 11th and UAE 15th. Their target is six points out of three matches to secure a place in the final World Cup qualification round for the first time in history.