VietNamNet Bridge – The national U16 team has got together at the National Youth Football Training Centre in Ha Noi to prepare for Southeast Asia U16 Football (AFF U16) Championships taking place in Vientiane, Laos, from July 7-20.

Twenty-seven players from football training centres and clubs across the country have been called up to attend the training camp. The Hoang Anh Gia Lai club has contributed the most with 10 players, most of whom are defenders and midfielders.

Nguyen Hai Bien, head coach of the national U16 team, said: "We hope that through the competition, our youth will gain international football experience and become more mature players."

"For young footballers, the experience gained through games against teams from different countries is more important than results," said the former national defender.

The championship has 10 participating teams, which are divided into two groups. Viet Nam are drawn in Group B alongside Singapore, Philippines, Myanmar and Cambodia.

Group A has Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Timor Leste and host nation Laos.

Two top teams from each group will qualify for the semi-finals.

Viet Nam will start the campaign with a game against Singapore on July 8. The team will meet Cambodia on July 12, Philippines on July 14 and the last match against Myanmar on July 16.

After the championship, the team will begin preparing for the qualifying round of the Asian Football Confederation's U16 championship.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News