Vietnam had their first training session in New Zealand on Thursday in preparation for their campaign at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, scheduled to take place in Australia and New Zealand from July 20 to August 20.

The hour-long training in developing a tactile connection with the ball took place at McLean Park in Napier, where Vietnam are slated to play a friendly against New Zealand on Monday.

Prior to the training session, Truong Hai Tung, head of the Vietnamese delegation to the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, said that both FIFA and the local organizers warmly welcomed the team despite their arrival being earlier than the designated time for the World Cup.

“The players have displayed proactivity in their mobility, daily routine, and preparation of suitable attire, thus avoiding any surprises caused by the chilly weather here,” said Tung.

To get to Napier, the team flew from Hanoi to Singapore, Singapore to Auckland, and Auckland to Napier. Their cumulative travel time was about 24 hours.

The squad are scheduled to hold two training sessions on Friday, one in the morning and another in the afternoon, both of which will be aimed at enhancing their fitness levels in order to hit peak performance ahead of their friendly match against New Zealand.

They will then proceed with another friendly against Spain on July 14.

This is the first time Vietnam have qualifed for a FIFA Women’s World Cup edition in the country’s football history.

They will open their Group E campaign against the U.S. on July 22 at 1:00 pm (local time) in Auckland, before taking on Portugal in Hamilton at 2:30 pm on July 27 and the Netherlands in Dunedin at 2:00 pm on August 1.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!