Vietnam team goes to China for friendly match

After a night flight from Hanoi and a connecting flight in Shanghai, the Vietnamese team arrived in Dalian city (China) at noon today, October 8.

Because many players gathered late, close to the match day, Coach Troussier suggested that the whole team fly at night. The team would have an extra practice session, instead of just one practice session if they flew during the day.

The logistics were well prepared in advance, so the players did not have to spend much time checking in or waiting for transportation. At the hotel, the whole team also checked in early to rest before lunch.

Coach Troussier disseminates the schedule to the players.

After lunch, Coach Troussier announced the schedule of activities and suggested that the players rest to have the best recovery before entering the training session at 7:00 p.m.

During their stay in China, the Vietnamese team will play two matches against the host team (October 10) and Uzbekistan (October 13). After that, the team will continue on their journey and play a friendly match against the host team, South Korea (October 17).

However, according to FIFA regulations, teams are not allowed to play more than 2 matches in a FIFA Days period. Therefore, 1 out of 3 matches of the Vietnam team in October will not be counted in the FIFA rankings.

The Vietnam team decided to choose the match against the Chinese team and the match against the Korean team as the two main international friendly matches.

The match against Uzbekistan was agreed by both teams to be a non-FIFA Days match in October 2023. This match is mainly for the professional work of the coaching staff of both teams, so it will be played in an empty stadium, without media coverage.

Some pictures of the Vietnamese team when traveling from Noi Bai to Dalian (China)