The national team departed yesterday for a friendly match against Malaysia as part of their preparations for the Southeast Asian Football Championships (AFF Cup) later this year.

Midfielder Nguyen Minh Duc was given the captain's armband while striker Le Cong Vinh and midfielder Le Tan Tai were made his deputies. Following Quoc Long's omission from the squad due to being fined, talented defender Viet Cuong was also forced to withdraw due to injury and personal problems.

The 22-man squad will take on AFF Cup defending champions Malaysia tomorrow. Their second match will be against Indonesia four days later.

The AFF Cup will kick off in November in Thailand and Malaysia.-VNS