The Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) is preparing a new contract to retain coach Kim Sang-sik.
Following their historic treble win in 2025, the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) is proceeding with a contract extension for coach Kim Sang-sik, along with a proposal to change his role so he can focus on bigger goals.
The Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) is preparing the necessary procedures to negotiate a contract extension with coach Kim Sang-sik, as his current contract is set to expire in March 2026. This move is considered urgent following the resounding successes that the South Korean strategist brought to Vietnamese football in 2025.
A historic treble and a spectacular transformation.
Coach Kim Sang-sik has set an unprecedented milestone by becoming the first coach to lead Vietnamese football to three major titles in just one year. He took over the team during a difficult period after a seven-match losing streak under his predecessor Philippe Troussier, but quickly revived the team's morale and exceeded all expectations.
Impressive achievements in 2025 include:
- They won the AFF Cup after defeating Thailand in both legs of the final.
- Vietnam U23 won the Southeast Asian U23 Championship after defeating Indonesia at Bung Karno Stadium.
- Vietnam U22 wins the SEA Games gold medal, once again surpassing their rival Thailand.
Kim's performance is demonstrated by compelling statistics: a win rate of 86.7% at the senior national team level and 100% at the U23 level. Besides titles, he also excelled in other professional goals such as qualifying for the 2027 Asian Cup and the 2026 U23 Asian Championship.
New contract and strategic direction
With his current salary of $20,000 per month, Coach Kim Sang-sik's success has attracted the attention of many international federations and clubs. This has forced the VFF to act quickly to retain the "chief architect" for its long-term goals.
The new contract is expected to not only improve his salary and benefits but also strategically reshape Kim's role. Experts suggest that he should be relieved of some of his responsibilities in regional youth tournaments such as the SEA Games or the U23 Southeast Asian Championship. This responsibility could be assigned to other coaches, similar to what the VFF did with coaches Gong Oh-kyun and Hoang Anh Tuan.
Instead, coach Kim Sang-sik needs to be given the maximum opportunity to focus all his efforts on the national team. The main focus will be on continental tournaments such as the Asian Cup and especially the 2030 World Cup qualifying campaign. This is considered a crucial step for Vietnamese football to aim for bigger goals after conquering titles in regional competitions.
