At the beginning of June, the national senior team and the U23 squad will all gather to prepare for their important goals in 2019. With the desire to improve the quality of both squads, the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) leaders and coach Park Hang-seo have affirmed that they will seriously consider and create favourable conditions for talented foreign-born Vietnamese players who want to contribute to the country's football.

Along with the strong development of Vietnamese football over the past year, overseas Vietnamese players wishing to come to Vietnam to compete in the domestic leagues or showing a desire to contribute to the national teams is on a positive trend.

It is possible to mention the faces that have returned to play for domestic teams and partly show their abilities and qualities as midfielder Adriano Schmidt (Germany) of V.League 1’s Hai Phong FC, Australian-born striker Martin Lo of second tier Pho Hien FC, Russian-born goalkeeper Dang Van Lam, and striker Mac Hong Quan (Czech Republic).

However, there are still unfortunate cases when the players do not meet the professional requirements or face difficulties in integrating into the new football environment despite enjoying favourable conditions when returning to Vietnam.

According to VFF Secretary General Le Hoai Anh, the federation is always ready to create the best conditions and welcome other overseas Vietnamese players returning home to contribute to the national teams, as long as they fully meet the professional requirements of the coaching staff and legal conditions to play for the Vietnam national teams in accordance with FIFA’s rules.

According to information from the VFF, this weekend, coach Park will travel to Europe to scout and meet several overseas Vietnamese players who are on the list synthesised by the VFF’s professional department. Among them, four European players including Alexander Dang (Norway), Kelvin Bui (Netherlands), Jason Pendant (France) and Filip Nguyen (Czech Republic) are the most prominent names.

Park also agreed with the VFF’s leaders to be ready to welcome Vietnamese talents meeting the two conditions that are they must possess real talent and the desire to contribute to the national teams.

"As the person responsible for the team's expertise, I cannot select a player who does not want to play for the national teams, and also cannot choose that player solely because he is playing in Europe. So I need to directly observe the overseas Vietnamese players to get the most accurate assessment of their abilities,” Park affirmed.

The 60-year-old Korean strategist will act as the decisive voice in the selection of personnel for the teams. "From the opinions of Park, the VFF will gradually make contact and support within the allowable scope to help such overseas Vietnamese players to quickly and smoothly play for Vietnam," Le Hoai Anh said.

With the progression of Vietnamese football, talents who are competing abroad could be considered as a potential resource for VFF to supplement the squads. However, careful consideration is needed to give the opportunity to those who are full of aspirations as well as having the capacity to secure a slot in the national teams.

The Vietnam senior and U23 squads will be announced later this month. The senior team will compete at the King’s Cup in Thailand from June 5 to 8, while the U23s will play a friendly against Myanmar in Hanoi on June 7.


Related Topics


Lac Thuy district: Focusing on improving and promoting the effectiveness of cultural and sports facilities

In recent years, Lac Thuy district has paid increasing attention to investing in cultural and sports infrastructure. These grassroots facilities have attracted a large number of residents to participate in recreational and cultural activities, physical training, and community engagement, contributing to the development of cultural life and the local socio-economic growth.

Mass Sports - Community bonding and health improvement

In recent years, the mass physical training and sports (PTS) movement in Hoa Binh province has developed strongly and spread widely. Regardless of age, gender or occupation, people actively participate in physical training, creating a vibrant and enthusiastic sports atmosphere within the community.

Hoa Binh’s athletes rise from grassroots sports movements to national stage

Recently, Hoa Binh’s athletes have continued to show strong performances at national-level competitions. Alongside elite athletes, several standout performers have emerged from grassroots sports movements, underlining the province’s growing sports culture.

550 athletes compete at the 2025 Hoa Binh Open ASUDO Karate Championship

From April 26 to 27, at the Provincial Sports Arena, the Hoa Binh Provincial Karate Federation organized the 2025 Hoa Binh Open ASUDO Karate Championship.

Traditional games thrive at Muong Festivals in Hoa Binh

While modern sports like volleyball and football continue to grow in popularity, traditional folk games and ethnic sports remain a vibrant and essential part of cultural life among the Muong community in Hoa Binh province.

85 players compete at Hoa Binh province Youth Table Tennis Tournament

A total of 85 young players from across Hoa Binh province recently participated in the provincial Youth Table Tennis Tournament. Organised by the provincial Centre for Youth Activities, the event was part of activities to celebrate the 94th founding anniversary of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union (March 26, 1931 – 2025) and the 79th anniversary of Vietnam Sports Day (March 27, 1946 – 2025).