The story of Vietnamese players who don't take Tet holiday

This reflects a new step of Vietnamese football when it sends many good players abroad to study, improve their level, and integrate into the international football competition environment. Along with that is the preparation step so that the upcoming football seasons will be scheduled together, competing in the first half of the year to the second half of the year, for example the 2023-2024 season.

Of course, sending good players to compete abroad is not an easy task, and it is not easy to get the desired results immediately. Previously, a series of players such as Huynh Duc, Cong Vinh, then Cong Phuong, Xuan Truong, Van Hau and now likeQuang HaiAll brought only disappointment, because they could not meet the professional requirements of the new teams, and because they rarely played, when they returned to the V-League, they suddenly became... completely exhausted.

Vietnamese players have played and are playing for foreign teams.

It is one thing for players to go abroad to compete for advertising and commercial purposes, but now it is very “old” and is something everyone knows. The problem is that the expertise with the requirements of physique, physical strength, technique, tactics… Vietnamese players are still too young and weak compared to the actual needs.

People once confidently said that Quang Hai could not wear the tight V-League shirt, so he left the top team he was attached to, Hanoi FC, to play for the French second division team. Choosing a team that was within his ability was a wise move for Hai. However, nothing is easy and within his ability. He did not play regularly, and was "released" even when the tournament was not part of the FIFA system. In the end, this star only disappointed, even having to play as a reserve in the AFF Cup final...

Quang Hai could not compete at Pau FC (France) and also played poorly when he returned to wear the Vietnamese national team jersey.

It is surprising that Quang Hai “lost” himself so early in the Vietnam National Team. But if you look closely, it is a common thing for stars when they are good and full of hope in their home country, but when they “take the bell to strike in a foreign land”, their voice is muted and they cannot ring.

But it is worth emphasizing that things did not go in a completely disappointing direction. Van Lam in men's football and Huynh Nhu in women's football are two stars who have been performing well in their roles and positions, promoting their inherent strengths.

Although Van Lam was not trusted in Thailand and faced difficulties when he went to Japan, he always maintained a good training attitude and was never discouraged, so that even though he did not play regularly, he still maintained his best form when assigned a task. He is a true professional, an example for other players to look up to.

When returning to V-League with Binh Dinh team or when joining the Vietnam National Team, Van Lam has shown his ability as the number 1 goalkeeper of Vietnamese football at the moment. The fact that he and the Vietnam National Team did not concede a goal from the group stage until the semi-finals of the recent AFF Cup proves that, not only domestically but also for the whole region.

When Huynh Nhu went to Portugal to compete, she was not "overwhelmed" but immediately demonstrated her inherent ability. This Tra Vinh girl will have the opportunity to join her teammates in the 2023 World Cup, and will bring the experience she has gained to spread with her teammates in the matches of her career.

Female player Huynh Nhu is having an impressive performance in FC Lank (Portugal) shirt.

Vietnamese players who did not have Tet holiday but still played normally like Quang Hai, Van Lam, Huynh Nhu… are in fact the pioneers of Vietnamese football to gradually integrate into the common playing field of world football. That integration journey is still long, will go through many successes and failures, many experiences and valuable lessons for the current and next generations. That is the inevitable path, the mandatory thing, for Vietnamese football to reach new heights, from the first spring steps…