Last season, coach Nguyen Viet Thang helped Phu Dong Ninh Binh (now Ninh Binh FC) win the National First Division 2024-2025 championship and win the right to play in the V.League 2025-2026.
However, after completing the goal, he was not given the opportunity to lead the ancient capital team in the highest playground of Vietnamese football. Ninh Binh FC then chose a Spanish coach for the new plan.
Leaving Ninh Binh, coach Nguyen Viet Thang accepted to lead Truong Tuoi Dong Nai. The goal assigned to the coach born in 1981 was to compete for the championship and promotion spot. He quickly made his mark in professional work as well as building solidarity in the dressing room.
Under the leadership of the young strategist, Dong Nai maintained stable form throughout the season with 14 wins, 5 draws and only 1 loss. This series of results helped the Southeast team break away early in the championship race and complete the goal of early promotion.
Before the coronation, when asked about the possibility of continuing to lead Dong Nai in the V.League, coach Nguyen Viet Thang once shared: "I also don't know, because that depends on whether the team's leaders trust me to keep me in charge or not. However, as a coach, what I want most is still to coach in the V.League arena. For two consecutive seasons, I have always strived for that, but the opportunity has not yet come to me.
Immediately after completing the promotion goal with Dong Nai, this strategist admitted that the pressure in the past two seasons was very high. He said: "I always tell the players that if you want to reach the throne, each match is a final. For two consecutive years, I have played more than 40 finals. I am really happy now, but also very tired".
Besides the joy of the championship, coach Nguyen Viet Thang and his colleagues have been preparing for many months before for the scenario of Dong Nai participating in the V.League. The plan to recruit new domestic and foreign players has been built to help the team be strong enough to compete in a harsher environment.
After the last match of the season, the 45-year-old coach plans to submit a plan to prepare for the new season, and also ask for a short break to regenerate energy.
I need to rest, the players also need to rest to have good preparation for the next season. This is a very long period with continuous pressure," coach Viet Thang said.
