Vietnam Football: September with a new start

1.This September, the 2024/25 V-League will kick off its second season, playing in a "squeezed" format over two years. Also in September, coach Kim Sang Sik will have two very high-quality FIFA Days matches with the Russian and Thai teams. Although he has led two matches in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, this is the first time for people to have a comprehensive view of the new Korean coach's ability, because in the previous two matches, he did not have much time to prepare, especially in terms of tactical ideas.

At this point, the "wounds" of failure in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers seem to have "healed". Or at least, the controversial crisis under coach Philippe Troussier may have passed. Not necessarily because the team has improved, but because Vietnamese football is still at a positive pace. The historic championship of Nam Dinh football is the highlight.

In the last 20 V-League seasons, there have been 10 different names that have won the Vietnamese championship, of which 9 teams will still compete in the new V-League season, except for GDT.LA who is currently playing in the First Division.

9/14 teams have won the championship, which is a very special number if we compare it with national championships in the region and in the world. This shows that V-League is highly competitive, more or less achieving the necessary stability to maintain the quality of the top national tournament. Of these 9 champions, 6 teams (in addition to HAGL, SHB Da Nang and Quang Nam) are still considered candidates for the new season. That is a very encouraging number.

In other words, from a fair perspective, V-League is performing its function and role well, although the tournament itself is still a controversial topic among Vietnamese football fans. People can mock V-League with many different negative descriptions, many fans even openly admit that they love the national team but… have never watched V-League. But as said, if not too harsh, this tournament is still improving every day.

For example, from 2020 to 2024, there were 4 different teams winning the V-League. The top position continuously changed hands, something that has never happened in history. It is also because of that exciting race that in the next season, we will see how the former champion B.Binh Duong is entering the competition with such a fierce attitude when reforming the entire coaching staff.

They have been crowned champions 4 times, and their excitement has sometimes been lacking in many seasons since the last time in 2015. If they continue like this, no one will blame them. However, B.Binh Duong's actions show that they seem to be "hot-headed", wanting to come back with more power than before.

That is the excitement that V-League brings to Vietnamese football, not just in the number of new national players.

2.Coach Kim Sang Sik's roster of veteran names is a reality that needs to be accepted: Vietnamese football needs to wait for the next generation of talent, maybe in a few years, not now. Mr. Kim has had time to follow the V-League, and it is true that he cannot find any young players. In that spirit, what is worth waiting for in September is how Mr. Kim "refreshes" the old squad.

In fact, the 2023/24 V-League season shows that a few national players have regained their place in the national team after taking advantage of opportunities in new colors, such as Hong Duy or Ho Tuan Tai.

These are players who are theoretically still in the prime of their careers. If they can renew themselves in the V-League, hopefully Mr. Kim Sang Sik will also find a new source of freshness for them in the national team. Russia and Thailand are two tests that are enough for Mr. Kim to show his full potential in the preparation process for the Asean Cup at the end of the year.

Mr. Kim's selection of players, along with the stability of the V-League, could be the beginning of a new approach to Vietnamese football, when the foundation of the team and the prospects of achievements are based on what we have gained from the V-League. Now we just hope that fans will enjoy watching the V-League more so that this tournament has the motivation to progress more.

Of course, coach Kim Sang Sik's team also needs to have a good performance in the upcoming two friendly matches. Until now, there is still some controversy about coach Troussier's approach in more than a year in charge.

We used to expect to rejuvenate the team, change the playing style, but in the end it did not meet expectations. So when we return to the method of selecting the best players, seeking achievements based on talent and experience, is it better?

That is what Vietnamese football has been struggling with for over a year.

3.Talking about football is also to mention the current state of Vietnamese sports after unsuccessful efforts in high-level arenas such as Asiad or Olympics. Although in the process of participating in such large-scale events, we also have outstanding achievements, but there is no stability, also because of the lack of fundamental factors.

Football is a pioneer in professionalization, has strong appeal, makes good money, and even sells television rights. But as we have seen, even though it can do more than other sports, the process of reaching continental and world level for football is still difficult and arduous.

Obviously, there is no easy path and no "shortcut" forever. With the team in the hands of coach Kim Sang Sik now, to recreate the achievements of his compatriot Park Hang Seo is already extremely difficult, not to mention entering the top 10 of Asia, the goal that we have set a strategy to achieve by 2030. And if we do not reach the top 10, the dream of the World Cup is still very far away.

Is that the necessary approach for the entire Vietnamese sports industry at this time? That is, we need more perseverance besides dreaming. We need more breakthrough methods to build a solid foundation before thinking about world-class victories. We need more football fields and sports stadiums with large audiences for domestic matches to have more resources for investment.