In a media interview in early 2025, VFF President Tran Quoc Tuan shared about the outstanding successes of Vietnamese football in 2024 and important orientations for the coming year.
In particular, Mr. Tran Quoc Tuan especially emphasized the achievement of the Vietnamese team winning the ASEAN Cup 2024. According to the assessment of the VFF President, the third ASEAN Cup championship (formerly the AFF Cup) of the national men's football team has brought great inspiration to the whole country.
This was the first time the team won the championship on away ground, in Thailand, with emotional performances. The team won all 4 semi-finals and the final, affirming the position of Vietnamese football in the region and creating a buzz on the international stage.
After winning the 2024 ASEAN Cup, the story of naturalization was hotly discussed when naturalized player Nguyen Xuan Son was the one who left a strong impression, contributing greatly to this achievement of the national team.
Xuan Son has created a positive effect, helping fans' views on naturalizing players for the Vietnamese national team become more open.
As for Chairman Tran Quoc Tuan, he emphasized that the trend of increasing the use of naturalized players is taking place strongly in both Europe and Asia, contributing to enhancing the strength of national teams.
However, this is carefully considered to ensure both preserving national identity and maximizing collective strength to achieve greater goals.
The use of naturalized players in the national team not only complies with the regulations of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) but is also based on the player's wishes and suitability with professional and cultural criteria.
The VFF President affirmed that Vietnamese football still pays special attention to youth training. Tournaments at the U9, U11, U15, U17 to U21 levels are always of interest. Vietnamese youth teams also have the opportunity to train and compete in friendly matches to prepare for the future.
Mr. Tran Quoc Tuan emphasized that with strong investment efforts and the right strategy, Vietnamese youth football not only creates a solid foundation but also ensures stability and long-term development for the national team in the future.
VFF President Tran Quoc Tuan said that to build a sustainable football development, one of the core factors is to create support mechanisms for clubs, businesses and youth football training centers in completing facilities.
Because only with good facilities can Vietnamese football have the conditions to develop sports talents, meeting the criteria and long-term development progress.
