A makeshift attack poses a challenge

Vietnam's national football team is unlikely to have its strongest attacking lineup available for the November training camp, with Xuan Son, Hoang Hen and Tai Loc either still recovering from injuries or yet to regain full fitness.

Meanwhile, Dinh Bac's availability remains uncertain.

These potential absences represent significant setbacks, although they are hardly surprising given the demanding schedules endured by Vietnam's leading attackers, who have competed continuously across multiple tournaments.

The heavy workload has taken its toll, leaving head coach Kim Sang Sik facing difficult selection decisions ahead of the upcoming international fixtures.

However, recent developments in the V-League have provided some encouragement.

Several experienced forwards, including Tien Linh, Tuan Hai and Quoc Viet, have shown signs of rediscovering their form, offering Kim additional options as he looks to rebuild his attacking unit.

The South Korean coach could also welcome naturalized striker Olaha Manh Duc into the national team for the first time during the next training camp, as the forward is now eligible to represent Vietnam.

These developments could help ease the immediate personnel shortage, but they do not necessarily address the team's underlying attacking problems.

A lack of attacking solutions is the greater concern

A makeshift forward line is undoubtedly a worry, but the bigger challenge for Kim Sang Sik is Vietnam's limited attacking efficiency and its longstanding dependence on moments of individual brilliance.

Under Kim, Vietnam have generally demonstrated an ability to retain possession and organize attacking moves.

However, their effectiveness in the final third has frequently fallen short of expectations.

Despite controlling matches and applying sustained pressure, the team have often struggled to establish an early lead that would force opponents to abandon their defensive approach.

The draw against Singapore at the ASEAN Cup illustrated this weakness.

Vietnam dictated much of the play but found it difficult to penetrate Singapore's deep defensive block.

A subsequent defeat to Thailand at the FIFA ASEAN Cup further exposed the same limitations.

The problem has also appeared repeatedly in matches Vietnam eventually won under Kim.

Even when the team dominated possession and created sustained attacking pressure, the breakthrough goal often arrived late.

Such performances suggest that Vietnam's difficulties extend beyond the form or availability of individual forwards.

Instead, they point to a broader tactical issue involving attacking patterns, movement, chance creation and the ability to unlock disciplined defensive systems.

November's two friendly matches should therefore serve a greater purpose than simply identifying replacements for Xuan Son, reducing Dinh Bac's workload or assessing the fitness of established players.

More importantly, Kim must use the fixtures to develop more effective attacking combinations and find reliable ways to overcome opponents who defend deep and maintain their organization.

Without meaningful improvements, Vietnam risk repeating a familiar pattern even when their first-choice attackers return: dominating possession, spending long periods in the opposition half and creating pressure without converting it into goals.

The need to resolve these problems is becoming increasingly urgent as Vietnam prepare for the Asian Cup, where the standard of competition will be considerably higher than at the ASEAN Cup.

Against stronger opponents who are less likely to make costly defensive mistakes, inefficient attacking play could prove particularly damaging.

For Kim Sang Sik, the real challenge is not simply assembling a fully fit forward line, but building an attacking system capable of consistently turning territorial dominance into goals.

Duy Nguyen