No mass naturalization
At the end of 2024, striker Nguyen Xuan Son successfully naturalized and played impressively at the ASEAN Cup. After the positive effect of Xuan Son, many clubs have proposed naturalizing eligible foreign players. Recently, midfielder Hendrio (Hanoi FC) officially has Vietnamese nationality under the Vietnamese name Do Hoang Hen. Gustavo (Da Nang), Geovane and Janclesio (Ninh Binh) are also on the list.
Regarding the use of naturalized players, President of the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) Tran Quoc Tuan once shared: "We have anticipated the difficulties when teams in the region use many naturalized players. That is not a new trend. However, to do this, it is necessary to take the right steps, in accordance with the culture of each country. Massive naturalization can help the national team become stronger at some point. However, as a result, the domestic tournament system may weaken and affect youth training, preserving the identity of the national team".
Also related to this issue, VFF Vice President Tran Anh Tu once discussed with Lao Dong: "Citization is currently a trend, no one can force it. But VFF still identifies youth training as the most important. If there is too much naturalization, youth training will be affected. We cannot rely on naturalization. naturalization must be reasonable and have a level".
In the past, Vietnamese football had a strong wave of naturalization. Some players were called up to the national team, but the factor of "flag color" and national spirit was still a prerequisite. Xuan Son's performance in the Vietnam National Team jersey is the key to opening up opportunities for many colleagues.
Need a long-term plan
In reality, Vietnamese and Southeast Asian football will find it difficult to strengthen without naturalization resources. The Thai team has limited the naturalization of foreign players but focused on Thai overseas forces such as Mickelson, Gustavsson, Dolah... to renew the team. Indonesia and Malaysia are two typical examples. Although violating FIFA's penalty regulations for naturalizing players, it must be admitted that the naturalized players helped Malaysia transform. Meanwhile, without the Indonesian-born Dutch players, the team from the archipelago will have a hard time entering the 4th qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup.
However, the story of naturalization in Vietnam is not simple, because the number of players who meet the conditions and have sufficient professional qualifications is not large.
Talking to a reporter from Lao Dong Newspaper, commentator Ngo Quang Tung commented: "Citizing qualified players is good. However, if this is considered a long-term strategy, it should not be done. Currently, eligible foreign players have some injured players, some are elderly. They are still better than domestic players, but their ability to contribute long-term is not high. naturalization is not a long-term problem, it requires a clear strategy".
From here, two issues arise for Vietnamese football. First, nothing is more sustainable than the well-trained domestic player resource. At the time of the most brilliant success of Vietnamese football, only Dang Van Lam was an overseas Vietnamese player and there were no naturalized players. Second, if they want to be naturalized, VFF needs to have a "source". The ideal group is foreign players under 30 years old and playing in Vietnam for 5 years. VFF can encourage teams to use young foreign players so that when they are eligible for naturalization, they are still at the peak. These problems require a long-term plan, which cannot be solved with a few timely proposals.
Commentator Quang Huy emphasized: The story of Malaysia's naturalization is a lesson for many football backgrounds. We need to clearly understand the regulations and rules. When there are no specific social conditions like Malaysia, we have to build a basic foundation. However, we must always promote our internal strength. VFF was previously very cautious, not naturalized for more than 10 years. Just over a year ago, when Indonesia was strongly naturalized, we reopened and Xuan Son is a successful example".
According to commentator Quang Huy, in the context of changing global football, Vietnam cannot stand outside.However, everything must be in accordance with the law.Players must have lived and played in Vietnam for at least 5 years, meeting many criteria to be naturalized.
