Jason Quang Vinh, Viktor Le and the candidates
At the end of March, the Vietnam team will have the first match of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers against Laos at Binh Duong Stadium. Coach Kim Sang-sik and his colleagues continuously monitor the V.League and the First Division to select personnel for the team, in order to have the best preparation.
In parallel with the efforts of coach Kim Sang-sik, the media and fans also actively propose potential faces for the Vietnam national team, especially overseas Vietnamese players. In the context of Mr. Kim Sang-sik being ready to open the door to all players, from naturalized factors, overseas Vietnamese to domestic players..., the list of players of Vietnamese origin is therefore mentioned regularly and constantly updated on the media and social networks.
Jason Pendant Quang Vinh (Hanoi Police), Adou Minh, Viktor Le (Hong Linh Ha Tinh), Zan Nguyen (HCMC), Kyle Colonna, Pierre Lamothe (Hanoi FC) ... are the names often mentioned as an additional expectation for the Vietnam national team in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers. However, whether they are in the target market of coach Kim Sang-sik or not is another story.
In the above list, Jason Pendant Quang Vinh is the player with the most experience. However, up to this point, the player who played in the French second division does not have Vietnamese nationality. Meanwhile, Viktor Le meets the above conditions, but his current ability and contribution to Hong Linh Ha Tinh is still very modest.
Adou Minh, Zan Nguyen, Kyle Colonna are potential players. They do not have Vietnamese nationality or lack stability and high performance in the V.League. Of course, coach Kim Sang-sik cannot bring them to the Vietnam national team at the present time.
Need a realistic view
In the past nearly 3 seasons, the Vietnam Football Federation has paid special attention to overseas Vietnamese players (players of Vietnamese origin), because this is a quality addition to the Vietnam national teams.
However, except for the cases of Mac Hong Quan, Dang Van Lam and Nguyen Filip, most overseas Vietnamese players returning to play in the V.League or trying out for Vietnam national teams have not met expectations.
In the previous period, Michal Nguyen, Dang Van Robert, Adriano Schmidt and Martin Lo were called up to the U23 and Vietnam national team by their predecessors Toshiya Miura and Park Hang-seo. However, they could not prove the stature of an overseas Vietnamese player as many fans expected.
In 2023, Andrej Nguyen An Khanh had the opportunity to return to Vietnam from the Czech Republic to try his hand under former coach Philippe Troussier. However, he has not met professional requirements. Understanding that his ability could not play for the Vietnam youth team, An Khanh expressed his determination to train and improve himself in the Czech Republic. After nearly 2 years, this young man is ready to return to compete for U22 Vietnam if he is called up to participate in the 33rd SEA Games.
Every time the Vietnamese team focuses on a tournament, the wave of overseas Vietnamese players flows in and receives public attention. That is a valuable thing when the orientation of Vietnamese football is to open the door to welcome talent.
Selection and evaluation need to be carried out through many criteria. Only then will the Vietnam national teams truly have quality overseas Vietnamese players, supporting the players to be screened, selected and developed domestically.
