Mandatory Tasks
Vietnam's victory in the 2024 ASEAN Cup was a huge boost to the country's football after a difficult period. It has been a long time since the national team has created an attraction for fans, but after the joy, worries still remain. Nguyen Xuan Son - the naturalized player who brought success to the team - suffered a very serious injury and will not be able to continue playing until the end of the year.
Coach Kim Sang-sik returned to the situation in the first days of his arrival in Vietnam. He expressed his belief in the local players more than once, but they certainly could not solve the match the way Xuan Son usually did.
Not to mention, the people who brought success to the Vietnam team at the ASEAN Cup 2024 are still the pillars who shined 6 years ago. Basically, there are a few new factors such as Doan Ngoc Tan, Nguyen Van Vi, Nguyen Dinh Trieu... but they do not play the role of pillars, deciding the success or failure of the team.
In other words, the process of rejuvenating the force and building the next generation of Vietnamese football has not been successful. More than a year ago, the previous coach Philippe Troussier took on this job with great hope. He understood the players thoroughly due to his long time working at the PVF Football Center and was famous for his deep understanding of football knowledge.
Then, a drastic and somewhat unreasonable personnel revolution forced this veteran strategist to leave office.
Faced with the pressure of achievement, Mr. Kim Sang-sik had to choose the best possible option. The Korean coach tried to maximize the abilities of his students, leading them to immediate success. From a personal perspective, Mr. Kim had to maintain his dynasty before thinking about long-term goals.
Opportunities for young people
In fact, young players have more and more opportunities at both the national team and club levels. The team really needs young players to serve many goals such as the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers and especially the 33rd SEA Games at the end of 2025. In a year when Vietnamese football did not participate in many major tournaments, the SEA Games became an important destination.
The host country Thailand has decided not to allow teams to use over-age players in men's football at the 33rd SEA Games. This has forced the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) to recalculate its personnel. It is very likely that in the upcoming training sessions of the Vietnam National Team, players in the U22 age group will be called up and given the opportunity to play.
Nguyen Thai Son, Bui Vi Hao and Nguyen Dinh Bac have and will have more opportunities to play with their seniors, because they are in the planning to be the "backbone" for U22 Vietnam.
At the club level, the difficult financial situation and the rising transfer prices for domestic players have forced many “poor” teams to tighten their belts. The simplest way to reduce costs is to put young players on the field.
Dong A Thanh Hoa and Song Lam Nghe An are at the forefront of this trend. The Thanh team focuses on a few key positions, while the rest of the team chooses many young talents from local training centers such as Thai Son, Chau Phi, Ngoc Ha, Ngoc Quy and Ngoc My.
Meanwhile, Song Lam Nghe An owns the majority of players under the age of 22. Even financially more stable teams such as The Cong Viettel and Da Nang also apply the same strategy. The results are not yet visible, but in the next 2-3 years, a generation of talented and brave players will be introduced.
However, it is also necessary to recognize that young players themselves need to prove their abilities and seize opportunities when trusted by coaches. Only then will the "time" truly come to young people.
