Vietnam coach Kim Sang-sik has shortened his planned leave in South Korea, according to Thanh Nien.

The report lists his departure from Vietnam for the evening of October 18, instead of October 16, and a planned return on October 24. It describes a travel schedule rather than confirmation that the return journey has already taken place.

Club performances remain under review

Before the break, Kim continued attending domestic matches to assess potential national-team players.

He watched Cong an Ha Noi against Kashima Antlers in the AFC Champions League Elite at Hang Day on October 13. On October 17, he also attended the second-tier meeting between Cong an Nhan dan and Hung Yen.

His assistants are expected to keep reporting on players in the V-League and the second division during his short absence.

Those observations will inform the next squad selection as Vietnam prepare for the 2027 Asian Cup.

November camp planned

Vietnam are provisionally scheduled to assemble on November 9, after seven rounds of the 2026-27 V-League.

The team are then due to play an international friendly tournament at Thien Truong with Chinese Taipei and Kyrgyzstan. The reported round-robin schedule has Vietnam facing Chinese Taipei on November 11, the two visiting teams meeting on November 13 and Vietnam playing Kyrgyzstan on November 15.

The VFF-organised tournament is described as counting towards FIFA rankings.

No final squad list is announced in the report. The coming club rounds and November friendlies remain opportunities for Kim and his staff to evaluate personnel and combinations before the Asian Cup.