Bac Ninh FC begins its journey to promotion

Bac Ninh Club will begin its journey in the National Second Division from April 11. Under the leadership of coach Hoang Anh Tuan, this team is expected to realize its ambition of being promoted to the First Division and then to the V.League.

On March 17, the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) held the 2025 National Second Division draw ceremony. Bac Ninh Club is in the same group as Hanoi Youth Club, Hoai Duc, PVF - CAND Youth Club, PVF, Phu Tho, Quang Ninh. In this group, Bac Ninh is considered a strong candidate. Their biggest opponent is Quang Ninh, a team with quality players with many years of experience in the V.League such as Bui Van Hieu, Dao Nhat Minh, Kieu Minh Duc, Le Tuan Tu...

Coach Hoang Anh Tuan and Bac Ninh FC set a goal of promotion. Photo: Bac Ninh FC

This year's tournament will continue to take place in a two-legged round-robin format (home and away) to calculate points and rankings, thereby determining the four best teams to qualify for the 2025-2026 National First Division. At the same time, the team with the lowest performance in the two groups will be relegated.

Last season, Bac Ninh missed the chance to be promoted when they lost to Ho Chi Minh City Youth in the penalty shootout in the final match. This season, the Kinh Bac team has set their sights on big ambitions. They have just appointed coach Hoang Anh Tuan as head coach. This is considered an important factor for the team to aim for a new goal.

Coach Hoang Anh Tuan also has experience leading a number of clubs in V.League such as Khanh Hoa (2007-2012) and Hai Phong (2013-2014). Mr. Tuan's most prominent mark is in youth training. With experience coaching U17, U19 and U23 teams, he helped U19 Vietnam win a place to participate in the final round of U20 World Cup 2017.

These factors are the basis for Bac Ninh FC to believe in a positive change for the team in the new season. Mr. Tuan plays the role of technical director and head coach, showing the strategic goals of the team's leadership.

Coach Hoang Anh Tuan once shared: “I made the decision to come to Bac Ninh very quickly and felt a lot of emotions when I appeared here. I think helping the club get promoted is not as difficult as building trust from local fans. Because Bac Ninh fan club is very passionate about football, and the leaders of the province and the club are especially interested in football, so they have invested a lot.”

In addition, Mr. Tuan also mentioned the team's promotion goal: "I have a very strange and indescribable feeling when I come here. Although it is the National Second Division, the promotion goal is really not easy. However, I believe in the attention and investment from the leadership, along with the determination and efforts of the club members, Bac Ninh will achieve the promotion goal as the fans have expected."

Previously, this team attracted attention when announcing coach Park Hang-seo as a senior advisor. Mr. Park plays an important role in the development plan of Bac Ninh Club, aiming to soon participate in V.League.

If the roadmap is favorable, Bac Ninh FC can participate in the First Division in 2026 and play in the V.League in 2027. To do this, the team needs to have strong investment in terms of personnel at different stages. Even playing in the V.League is a different problem when foreign players are needed.

Recently, Bac Ninh club had a friendly match with U17 Vietnam. In this match, Bac Ninh won with a score of 2-1. It was also the first match under the direction of Hoang Anh Tuan. That was the first impression, starting the new season.

U22 Vietnam departs for the CFA Team China 2025 international U22 tournament

On March 17, the Vietnam U22 team officially departed for China to participate in the CFA Team China 2025 international U22 football tournament. The squad of 25 players, led by Acting Head Coach Dinh Hong Vinh, will continue to gain valuable experiences towards the 2026 AFC U23 Qualifiers and the 33rd SEA Games.

U22 Vietnam players move to the airport to catch the flight to China.

This is the second consecutive time that the Vietnam U22 team has participated in the CFA Team China tournament, after the first time in 2024. This year's tournament is expected to be a quality "test of fire" for coach Dinh Hong Vinh and his team, when facing strong opponents such as U22 Korea, U22 Uzbekistan and host U22 China.

Not only is this tournament a test for the Vietnam U22 team, it is also part of the VFF's long-term plan, with a roadmap built early to best prepare for the 2026 U23 Asian Qualifiers as well as the 33rd SEA Games.

According to the match schedule, the Vietnam U22 team will meet U22 Korea on March 20, U22 Uzbekistan on March 23 and U22 China on March 25.

Acting head coach Dinh Hong Vinh said that the coaching staff of the U22 Vietnam team always has a connection with Head Coach Kim Sang Sik. We focus on maintaining a consistent philosophy from the national team down to the U22 Vietnam team.

The training plans and exercises have been agreed upon by the coaching staff, ensuring consistency between the two teams. The upcoming tournament is very important in improving the quality of the players and helping them integrate into the team's overall philosophy. (HH)