Persistently conquering dreams
Dang Van Lam, Nguyen Filip and Patrik Le Giang have many things in common, which is that they are playing in ambitious V.League clubs. The starting point of the 3 overseas Vietnamese goalkeepers is the process of maturity from Eastern European football backgrounds, from Russia, Slovakia to the Czech Republic. In particular, the journey of Van Lam, Filip and Patrik Le Giang wearing the Vietnamese national team jersey witnessed perseverance and patience.
Van Lam did not give up after his first defeat at Hoang Anh Gia Lai in 2011. He once wrote a letter asking to participate in the SEA Games with U23 Vietnam 4 years later. Even when becoming a national team player, Lam "Tay" also went through many upheavals, from injuries to having to compete with good goalkeepers.
Nguyen Filip once refused to wear the Czech Republic national team jersey to wait for a call from Vietnam. The failure to seek opportunities at Thanh Hoa club in 2016 did not make him give up his desire to play for his father's hometown team.
Nguyen Filip's 9 years of waiting was rewarded with a Vietnamese citizenship card. Then, from coach Troussier's summons, Filip appeared for the first time with "Golden Star Warriors".
Like Van Lam, even when the dream comes true, the goalkeeper who played in the Europa League still has to compete with many talented colleagues. Anyway, the first gift came to Nguyen Filip as a reward for perseverance. That is the ASEAN Cup 2024 championship.
Patrik Le Giang is no exception. At the request of coach Mai Duc Chung, this goalkeeper and his brother Emil returned to Vietnam to try their hand at the youth team in 2009. That was also the period when Le Giang sought opportunities to play for Navibank Saigon but failed.
Not giving up, Le Giang still nurtures the desire to return to the V.League for 14 years.
Achievement of perseverance
In 2023, Patrik Le Giang received offers from 2 V.League clubs and one of them was Hanoi Police.
When I first returned to Vietnam, I didn't even know how to greet in Vietnamese. Talking in Vietnamese is really difficult, but I will try to improve. I refused to return to Vietnam for a long time.
However, in 2023, I felt this was the right time for change. After considering the invitation, I agreed to go to Asia to compete, joining Hanoi Police. I left my safe zone because I wanted to learn about novelty, a new culture, new thinking," Le Giang once shared with the Slovak press.
However, in the context of having to compete with Nguyen Filip, this goalkeeper did not have the number 1 position in the goal of the Police sector team. After that, he joined Ho Chi Minh City club (now Ho Chi Minh City Police) on loan, before officially signing a 3-year contract.
The signing bonus of up to 7.5 billion VND along with a salary of 18,000 USD/month that Ho Chi Minh City Police paid to Le Giang Patrik is worth every penny. In the past 2 seasons, he has always been a top goalkeeper in V.League. Le Giang's journey to win the National Cup in the 2025-2026 season has a clear mark, with an average of no less than 3 saves/match.
In March 2026, this goalkeeper officially has Vietnamese citizenship. However, his journey to the national team still tests his patience. Because he used to play for U19 and U21 Slovakia in the past, Le Giang Patrik had to carry out procedures to convert the football federation into a member.
It will be until the ASEAN Cup 2026 campaign is activated in June this year, Le Giang will be eligible to be included in the list by coach Kim Sang-sik.
I want to send my thanks to the Ho Chi Minh City Police team, VFF for supporting the process of procedures with FIFA. I thank everyone behind me for supporting me, always standing side by side with me. This is an extremely happy moment for me.
I am very happy to be a member of the Vietnamese team. The atmosphere in the Vietnamese team is wonderful. All the players welcomed me very enthusiastically and positively. I am very grateful to be here.
Personally, I always try my best for the Vietnamese team and fans. I believe that the Vietnamese team is preparing very well for the upcoming ASEAN Cup," the male player said.
Patrik Le Giang has achieved what he has been waiting for for 17 years. Now is the time for this goalkeeper to prove that he is capable enough to take the number 1 position in goal, before the challenges at the Southeast Asian tournament in mid-July.
