It’s regrettable that Lam will not be able to timely recover from injuries to play for the team, said sources.

Other names crossed out were midfielders Phan Van Duc, Nguyen Van Truong, Tran Bao Toan and Nguyen Thai Son, and strikers Nguyen Dinh Bac and Nguyen Quoc Viet.

Three players from Nam Dinh FC - defender Nguyen Van Vi and strikers Nguyen Xuan Son and Nguyen Van Toan – are scheduled to join the national team after fulfilling their club duties in the group stage of the AFC Champions League Two 2024/25.

Notably, striker Nguyen Xuan Son has garnered significant attention from Southeast Asian media ahead of the tournament. He played a pivotal role in Nam Dịnh’s V-League championship last season, emerging as the league's top scorer with 31 goals, setting a new record for the most goals in a V-League season.

On December 6, the Vietnamese national team will depart for Laos to prepare for their opening match in Group B of the 2024 ASEAN Cup. The match between Laos and Vietnam is scheduled to take place at the Laos National Stadium at 8 PM on December 9.

Vietnam have been drawn in Group B and they will have two home matches against Indonesia on December 15 and Myanmar on December 21, both taking place at 8 p.m. at the Viet Tri Stadium in Phu Tho province.

During the 2022 edition, Vietnam finished as the runners-up after losing to Thailand in the final.