Second Division and the stories of Minh Trong and Van Binh

Due to the "losing ground" situation, the 2023 National Second Division Football League – a semi-professional league – only started on May 24th, while the professional V-League 1 and 2 have already reached rounds 8 and 4 respectively, and the National Cup has been underway since April and is preparing for the round of 16. This year's National Second Division League is divided into two groups, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the final to compete for two spots in V-League 2. The remaining promotion/relegation spot in V-League 2 is a battle between the third-placed team in the Second Division and the second-to-last-placed team in V-League 2, meaning there is still fierce competition for the right to play in the professional football league next season.

The reason for the lengthy discussion about the Second Division is that among the 14 participating teams, there is a famous name that once won the national championship twice, in 1989 and 1996, back when they competed with the powerful The Cong team: Dong Thap, a team that has produced many great names who have contributed to the national teams. Unfortunately, since becoming a professional football club, this team from the Mekong Delta has struggled, relegating from V-League 1 to V-League 2 and currently playing in the Second Division.

And it's worth noting that despite their disastrous decline, Dong Thap still has an important player who made a significant contribution to the Vietnam U22 team at the recent SEA Games 32: defender Minh Trong. This player usually plays as an attacking full-back on the left wing, an excellent playmaker for Van Tung, Van Khang, etc., creating a solid place in the hearts of fans and especially the trust of experts and coach Philippe Troussier in implementing the new philosophy and playing style of Vietnamese football.

The story of Dong Thap and Minh Trong is both a positive and a negative sign, drawing much attention. It's positive because even the Second Division can contribute talent to the national team, and if they play well and reach a high level, they can be considered for call-ups to national teams anywhere. It's sad because a locality with a strong football movement and a good training academy like Dong Thap can also decline in the harsh realities of professional football. It's sad, but they must rise again, rebuild, and strive step by step from the Second Division to V-League 2 and then to V-League 1. Hopefully, Minh Trong will be a key player, a leading pillar, to help Dong Thap perform better and truly return to being "more formidable than before" in the near future.

Regarding the Second Division, it's also necessary to mention a new requirement for strengthening the true power of football teams, primarily in V-League 1. The 2023 Second Division features notable participants such as: SHB Da Nang Youth, Ho Chi Minh City II, Quang Nam Youth… representing the youth teams of V-League 1 and 2 teams – SHB Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh City, and Quang Nam. While the Vietnam Football Federation has yet to organize a youth league for teams to compete alongside V-League 1 and 2 teams, as in developed football nations, this Second Division represents a concrete step towards that goal. It's worth noting that the number of teams with sufficient resources to compete in both leagues simultaneously is still very small. The Second Division therefore consists of teams that were originally amateurs gradually striving to improve, relegated teams such as Dong Thap, Dak Lak, Tien Giang, Lam Dong, and names that evoke memories of the past of football in Quang Ninh province like Luxury Ha Long…

Many Song Lam Nghe An football fans surely remember that when the new sponsor recently took over the team, the idea of ​​establishing a Song Lam Nghe An youth team to compete alongside the first team was proposed as a long-term strategy to elevate the team's level. However, the idea was later forgotten. Although the Song Lam Nghe An youth team participated in the Third Division in 2022, they were unsuccessful and returned to amateur football through the U-teams. While not achieving their goal, Song Lam Nghe An can take some comfort in the fact that from the U-teams, specifically the U19 and U17 teams, they have still been able to contribute promising names like Van Binh, Nguyen Hoang, and Long Vu… to the national teams such as the Vietnam U20 and U22 teams. The number of young Song Lam Nghe An players who have caught the attention of coaches like Hoang Anh Tuan or Troussier in the youth national teams could be in the dozens, something not every training academy can achieve today.

To put it simply, nurturing grassroots football, especially the youth teams, and providing them with the resources to participate in the Second Division as mentioned above, is essential to strengthening the squad's power and depth, ensuring continuity and development for V-League teams. It also provides an opportunity for promising young talents from grassroots football in the Second Division to be discovered and utilized at a higher level, like Van Binh as a backup goalkeeper, or Minh Trong, who showed remarkable maturity playing for the Vietnam U22 team at the SEA Games 32. This opens opportunities for everyone, especially young players under Philippe Troussier's leadership, as evidenced by his time in Japan and in Vietnam itself, where a number of U19 and U20 players were given opportunities – a concrete and convincing example.