Vietnam U17 held their first training session in Cheonan on October 19, opening a 10-day camp in South Korea ahead of the 2026 U17 World Cup. Cristiano Roland's players began work after settling into their accommodation.
VFF's updated programme lists three planned friendlies: FC Seoul U17 on October 21, Cheonan City FC U17 on October 26 and South Korea U17 on October 28.
Friendlies will test training work
Average temperatures of around 15 degrees Celsius in Cheonan are considered favourable for maintaining the required training intensity. The staff can continue developing the team's technical and tactical work in those conditions.
The matches provide opportunities to examine how the players apply that work against opposition. VFF identified tactical execution, individual progress and adaptation to a high playing intensity as key purposes of the camp.
Training and competition therefore form part of the same preparation process, with the friendlies offering further information for Roland and his staff before the next stage.
UAE camp follows the return home
Vietnam will return home after the South Korean camp, then travel to the UAE from November 6 before moving on to Qatar for the finals.
The team have been drawn in Group G alongside Belgium, New Zealand and Mali. It will be Vietnam's first appearance at the U17 World Cup, making preparation for the demands of that environment particularly significant.
The immediate focus remains the Cheonan programme and the three scheduled opponents. Those games will give the coaches additional opportunities to assess the squad before the final preparation period in the UAE and the subsequent journey to Qatar.