Changzhou generation lays the foundation for a successful cycle
The 2018 AFC U23 Championship finals in Changzhou mark an important milestone in the development journey of Vietnamese football. The achievement of reaching the final with the runner-up position under the guidance of coach Park Hang-seo is not only meaningful in terms of results, but also opens up a successful cycle lasting many years for national teams. From this tournament, a generation of young players quickly matured, becoming the core of Vietnamese football at both club and national team levels.
Names such as: Nguyen Quang Hai, Nguyen Cong Phuong, Nguyen Van Toan, Luong Xuan Truong, Nguyen Tuan Anh, Phan Van Duc, Nguyen Hoang Duc, Do Duy Manh, Nguyen Thanh Chung or Bui Tien Dung... have gradually affirmed their professional capacity and maintained stable positions for many years. The continuous succession from U23 to the national team helps Vietnamese football maintain a stable framework, minimizing transitional phases of force disruption.
From that foundation, Vietnamese football achieved a series of outstanding results. The national team won the 2018 AFF Cup, won the 2019 SEA Games Gold Medal for the first time after more than 60 years of waiting, reached the quarter-finals of the 2019 Asian Cup, ranked fourth at ASIAD 18 and culminated in reaching the 3rd qualifying round of the 2022 World Cup in Asia. This is the period when the Vietnamese team regularly maintains its competitive position in major tournaments in the region and continent.
In terms of individuals, many players of the Changzhou 2018 generation have become top stars of Vietnamese football. Quang Hai and Hoang Duc have won the Vietnamese Golden Ball many times, alongside the Silver and Bronze Ball titles. Some players receive high salaries at clubs, with signing bonuses and salaries belonging to the leading group of V.League, showing the sustainability of this generation after the success at the 2018 AFC U23 Championship.
U23 Vietnam and the roadmap towards the 2030 World Cup
While the Changzhou generation is gradually entering the ripe stage of their careers, U23 Vietnam is currently being built to become a successor in the next development cycle. In just one year, the team under the guidance of coach Kim Sang-sik won the U23 Southeast Asian Championship 2025, won the SEA Games 33 Gold Medal and reached the knockout stage of the 2026 AFC U23 Championship. Notably, in this year's tournament, for the first time, U23 Vietnam passed the group stage with a perfect record and won all 9 points, along with U23 Japan, which are two rare teams achieving absolute results.
Until before the quarter-finals, Mr. Kim Sang-sik's U23 Vietnam maintained a 14-match unbeaten streak in all competitions. The current squad is all faces who have fought at different youth levels, trained for many years such as: Dinh Bac, Ly Duc, Nhat Minh, Trung Kien, Phi Hoang, Thai Son, Van Khang, Hieu Minh... Even Dinh Bac or Thai Son have worn the national team jersey many times in the previous period.
U23 Vietnam is considered to be well-organized, allocating forces evenly between the lines and not too dependent on individuals. This is a difference compared to many previous generations, when the role of a few stars is often decisive.
According to analysis by experts, reaching the quarter-finals of the AFC U23 Championship with a perfect winning record in the group stage has been considered a success for the current generation of players. More importantly, the team is showing stable competitiveness against strong opponents in the continent. From a strategic perspective, U23 Vietnam is identified as a key human resource for the national team in upcoming tournaments, especially the ASEAN Cup 2026 and Asian Cup 2027 if they win the right to participate in the finals.
Commentator Quang Huy commented that in 2025, coach Kim Sang-sik has proactively opened the doors of the national team for many young players. Being able to gather the national team, even if it is not certain to play, helps players accumulate experience and adapt early to the peak environment. However, he assessed that about 3-4 positions can meet professional requirements, of which 1-2 players are capable of playing the main role but need to be included in the squad according to a suitable schedule.
In the long term, this is a generation that the Vietnam Football Federation has focused on investing in to aim for the goal of competing for tickets to the 2030 World Cup. The construction of a systemic force, combined with regular international competition and gradually integrated with the national team shows a clear continuity between generations.
From the success of Changzhou 2018 to the current orientation, Vietnamese football is following an inherited development cycle, instead of relying on short-term successes.
