Vietnamese Fulsal - Steps towards Self-Reliance and Self-Strengthening Development

Vietnam is determined to try to achieve a favorable goal difference in their remaining match against the Czech Republic, repeating their previous qualification achievement.Round of 16 at the 2016 World Cup.

Vietnamese futsal has made remarkable progress.

In terms of achievements, they may be comparable, but in reality, Vietnamese Futsal has made remarkable progress by boldly employing a domestic coach and successfully rejuvenating its squad beyond expectations.

Looking back at the history of Vietnamese Futsal, many are surprised to learn that the first head coach, who led the team for 10 years (1997-2007), was a veteran coach of 11-a-side football, formerly the head coach of SLNA, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Vinh. Subsequently, Vietnamese futsal truly began to be systematically developed with a long-term, professional vision, continuously inviting foreign coaches to lead the national team (along with organizing annual national championships, clubs participating in regional and continental tournaments, etc.) such as P. Piamkum from Thailand (2008-2010), S. Gargelli from Italy (2010-2013), B. Garcia from Spain (2014-2016), M. Rodrigo from Spain (2017-2019)... The best achievement of Vietnamese futsal was during the period when Spanish coach B. Garcia led the team to their first-ever appearance at the 2016 World Cup and reaching the round of 16 as mentioned above, creating a foundation for a good relationship to develop in all aspects later on.

For various reasons, Vietnamese futsal has so far gone through three phases led by domestic coaches. After the initial period of formation and gradual stabilization under coach Nguyen Thanh Vinh, there was also a time when captain Nguyen Bao Quan was assigned the role of head coach (2016-2017), and from 2019 to the present, coach Pham Minh Giang has achieved outstanding results, leading the team to the FIFA Futsal Championship 2021 and having one victory that opened up many hopes of advancing further, as they had previously achieved.

Fans who had the chance to watch the two play-off matches for a spot in the finals between the Vietnamese Futsal team and Lebanon, as well as the team's matches at the FIFA Futsal World Cup, could fully appreciate the coaching abilities of Vietnamese coach Pham Minh Giang, compared to previous foreign coaches. The Vietnamese team still maintains experienced players who have participated in the World Cup and other major tournaments, such as Van Vu, Quoc Nam, Minh Tri, Van Y, Duc Hoa… while continuously adding young, fighting-minded players like Doan Phat, Van Hieu, Dinh Hung…

While experienced key players take turns handling defensive duties, maintaining control of the game in tough matches like the two-legged play-offs or the recent match against "giant" Brazil, instilling confidence in their teammates to seize opportunities for sharp counter-attacks, the young players are the unexpected, bold spearheads that allow the Vietnamese national team to deliver knockout blows and finish off opponents.

It was the decisive breakthrough on the left wing and the dangerous goal scored by Doan Phat in the second leg away match against Lebanon. It was the coordinated wing-kick with an unstoppable shot by Dinh Hung against Brazil in the first match in Lithuania. And most importantly, it was Van Hieu's goal to make it 3-2, a result of intercepting and winning the ball in his own half, bravely beating both the Panama defender and goalkeeper, and scoring from an unbelievable angle, leaving the opponent helpless and astonished…

Of course, much praise must be given to the Vietnamese national team's goalkeeper, Van Y. Spanish futsal circles have told Vietnamese futsal that to stop world-class pivot striker Ferrao of Brazil, currently playing in Europe, they had to use four players to surround and try to stop him, but still failed because Ferrao is truly an "alien." Therefore, Van Y's conceding 9 goals in the recent match against Brazil (Ferrao scored 4 goals) is nothing to criticize or underestimate. On the contrary, Van Y's consistent denials of dangerous shots from opponents in the two recent matches against Lebanon and Panama are the "trademark" of this "spider-man." He is a goalkeeper with exceptional reflexes, intelligent positioning, and is always a reliable asset for the team in tense moments and amidst countless threats from opponents.

The results achieved by the Vietnamese Futsal team under the guidance of local coach Pham Minh Giang open up new and hopeful possibilities for the future. Clearly, for both coach and players, if given the trust and responsibility, and if properly invested in, the Vietnamese Futsal team, after a period of learning and progress, can stand on its own two feet, confidently step onto the world stage of futsal, maintain its achievements, and reach new milestones. That is truly the right, long-term path, one that truly embodies self-reliance and self-improvement.