Who is the next "golden generation" of Vietnamese football?

The U22 and U20 players, who gained valuable experience during their training camps and international friendly matches with the French coach—such as new philosophies, new playing styles, and valuable lessons learned from defeats against stronger opponents—need further practical application to clarify their understanding. However, these lessons are temporarily being replaced by familiar tactics and old strategies used in previous domestic tournaments.

It's worth noting that the upcoming V.League will only have three rounds, rounds 5, 6, and 7, before taking a break to allow the Vietnam U23 team to focus on defending their SEA Games gold medal in Cambodia. It's unclear whether the U23 team will disband after the continental friendly tournament to release all players, or if they will continue training as usual to prepare for the big match. With limited time – just under a month until the SEA Games men's football tournament – ​​it's also uncertain whether coach Philippe Troussier will use the same squad from the Doha Cup to compete and win in the regional youth tournament, or whether he will continue to strengthen the team based on the experience gained from the three short rounds of the V-League.

There's talk about whether it's too early to be upset or worried about friendly matches, especially with a young team that's just getting used to a new playing style under a new coach. There's also discussion about whether the new coach will stick with his new direction after the inevitable initial setbacks, or whether he'll have to adjust to suit the physique, fitness, habits, and long-standing strengths of Vietnamese football when competing on the big stage.

In fact, the saying "you need the ingredients to make the dish" is never outdated in life, and in football. In Vietnam, the story of the "golden generation" is to honor a generation of talented players who gradually brought Vietnamese football to the regional stage, and then to the continental stage as it is today.

Since sports in general, and football in particular, reintegrated into the region, the generation of Hong Son, Huynh Duc, Cong Minh, etc., has elevated Vietnamese football from an average level to a top-tier team in the region, although still facing challenges from Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. The generation of Cong Vinh, Hong Son, Tai Em, Minh Phuong, etc., helped Vietnamese football win the AFF Cup in 2008, but unfortunately, rare talents of the same era like Van Quyen, Quoc Vuong, etc., couldn't contribute due to unforgivable mistakes. The recent generation of Quang Hai, Cong Phuong, Hoang Duc, etc., led Vietnamese football to a SEA Games gold medal and the 2018 AFF Cup, a truly proud achievement, creating a glorious period of success for Vietnamese football in the region and on the continent, very close to a World Cup ticket, although in reality, that is a very difficult hurdle to overcome at this time.

And when Mr. Troussier was entrusted with the task of leading the Vietnam U23 team and the Vietnam national team, it was to find the best and quickest way to bridge that gap on the continent and the familiar regional level. The task is very heavy, meaning it's something that the recent successful cycle couldn't overcome. Sadly, the current next generation of Vietnamese football players cannot yet be said to inspire confidence and reliability to achieve the goal ahead. Of course, Quang Hai and Hoang Duc will continue to contribute, but after what we've seen at the Doha Cup and the upcoming SEA Games, will the current U23 generation prove they are the next "golden generation" capable of doing better than previous generations?

Of course, we are quite reassured by the recent performances of the U20 team at a continental tournament, and players like Van Truong, Van Khang, Quoc Viet, Duc Viet… are showing much new potential and hope. However, they cannot and should not be the backbone of the current U23 team, while the new playing style and philosophy are causing the older players in the U23 age group, or even the U20 generation, to lose their form in real matches against high-level opponents, something they previously did quite well in continental tournaments when playing with their traditional, familiar style.

Previously, when he had the AFF Cup in hand, foreign coach Calistore also sought a ball-control style of play, playing on equal footing with top regional opponents, but he was unsuccessful. This time, Troussier continued to pursue that direction with the U23 team and immediately suffered a heavy defeat. The only difference is that the French coach has the foundation of past successes, the time to support him, and the opportunity to persevere and remain steadfast in the face of initial challenges. The main thing is that he must "revive" the strength of the generation of Quang Hai and Hoang Duc, "mold" new potential talents from Van Khang and Van Truong, and seek out and create successors from the U20, U19, and even U17 teams being supplemented by quality academies. In short, it has to be a new golden generation, capable of qualifying for the World Cup, able to play a style that combines control, attacking, and all-around prowess, along with renowned defense and brilliant counter-attacks in the Vietnamese style of play and philosophy?