According to the official registration list for the first leg of V.League 2025-2026, there are 6 overseas Vietnamese players of 33 years old participating in the 33rd SEA Games including Vadim Nguyen (Da Nang), Tran Thanh Trung (Ninh Binh), Damian Vu Thanh An (The Cong Viettel), Brandon Ly (Hanoi Police), Lee Williams (HCMC Police) and Evan Abran (Ninh Binh).
At this time, there are still overseas Vietnamese such as Nguyen Filip, Cao Pendant Quang Vinh, Patrik Le Giang... who have demonstrated their professional capacity and experienced an impressive journey in the V.League. But the story of young people returning to their homeland is completely different.
Tran Thanh Trung - who played for the Bulgarian youth teams, valued at 12 billion VND, is "disappearing" against his seniors. The U23 Vietnam player has only played 2 matches with 25 minutes on the field in the V.League. He struggled to compete with Duc Chien and Hoang Duc, even the opportunity to come on as a replacement fell to Trong Long.
Ninh Binh also has a left-back with two French and Vietnamese bloodlines, Evan Abram. However, it is too difficult for him to compete when the new V.League has Thanh Thinh and Hai Duc.
Recently, Damian Vu Thanh An left his mark with a goal against Ho Chi Minh City Police in his debut match. However, coach Popov could only use him for 21 minutes in the 2 matches.
Another person who initially showed a bright spot was Vadim Nguyen. Although Da Nang club is facing difficulties, this overseas Vietnamese player still leaves an impression thanks to his personal technique and innovative football thinking. He became a strategic reserve option for coach Le Duc Tuan.
The most disappointing thing is the return of young English stars like Lee Williams and Brandon Ly.
The day Hanoi Police Club announced Brandon Ly, many people expected him to explode because of his resume that he played for the Burnley youth team. But through many different information channels, Brandon Ly has mostly only played for teams in the 7th division of English football - the semi-professional tournament of the foggy country. It is difficult to expect a defender who is still struggling in non-professional tournaments.
Sharing about the issue of overseas Vietnamese players, coach Hoang Anh Tuan said: "Maybe a part of fans agree that overseas Vietnamese are better than domestic players. In sports in general and football in particular, anyone with better skills and qualifications will be chosen, not just overseas Vietnamese will be favored.
If overseas Vietnamese players are modest in their abilities and cannot create superiority when compared to domestic players, it is understandable whether they are on the bench or not to register to compete."
The opinion of coach Hoang Anh Tuan accurately reflects the current situation in the V.League. The coaches must take responsibility for the team's achievements.
They do not reject overseas Vietnamese players. But if the boys from other countries do not meet the requirements, they are willing to "work hard" even though it can cause controversy.
