Vietnamese-born players struggle in the V-League.

Vietnamese football history has seen many overseas Vietnamese players choose to return to their homeland to contribute. However, to increase both the number and quality of overseas Vietnamese players, and to help them integrate better into clubs and contribute more to the national team, Vietnamese football needs a systematic and comprehensive strategy.

The influx of overseas Vietnamese players into the V-League has increased in number over the years, but their quality remains a big question mark.

The number of Vietnamese- American players in the Europa League is increasing.

Throughout the history of Vietnamese professional football, there have been many foreign players of Vietnamese origin (also known as overseas Vietnamese) who returned to play in the country, such as Dang Van Lam, Adriano Schmidt, Michal Nguyen, etc.

Defender Cao Pendant Quang Vinh (right) is playing quite well for CAHN Club.

PHOTO: MINH TU

However, the turning point that opened the V-League to this resource only truly came in the 2023 season, when the league organizers allowed each club to register one overseas Vietnamese player. By the 2024-2025 season, the number of overseas Vietnamese players that each V-League and First Division team could use had increased to two. As a result, many teams have been aggressively bringing in talented players of Vietnamese origin. The biggest investment has to be from Hanoi Police FC (CAHN FC). The former V-League champions are willing to pay high salaries to bring in a host of overseas Vietnamese stars such as goalkeeper Nguyen Filip (who played for 8 years in the Czech Republic national championship), goalkeeper Patrik Le Giang (who played for 9 years in the Czech Republic and Slovakia), and defender Cao Pendant Quang Vinh, a player who previously played for the French U.18 and U.16 teams, as well as competing in Ligue 2 with Sochaux. These are all top-class overseas Vietnamese players who will not only contribute to raising the level of the CAHN team, but will also become a driving force for the Vietnamese national team once these players obtain citizenship and are called up.

Nam Dinh FC has also recently added defender Kevin Pham Ba, who has both Vietnamese and French ancestry. Pham Ba's grandfather was Vietnamese. He rose through the ranks of the Sochaux youth academy and later played for several other French clubs such as Troyes, Le Pontet, Marignane, and Martigues.

While not bringing in any "star" Vietnamese-American players, Ha Tinh FC also has very promising players such as Viktor Le (of Vietnamese and Russian descent) and Adou Minh, a center-back who previously played in France. Hanoi FC also recruited a Vietnamese-American center-back (Kyle Colonna) at the beginning of this season, and now adds Pierre Lamothe (Vietnamese-Canadian). Ho Chi Minh City FC recruited Vietnamese-American goalkeeper Patrik Le Giang from CAHN FC, and this season added young center-back Zan Nguyen (who previously played in the US).

Hai Phong FC, once known for its openness in recruiting mixed-race players like Adriano Schmidt, Audrey Nguyen Hung Anh, Martin Lo, and Van Lam, now also has a Vietnamese-American player in its squad. This is Mark Huynh, a Vietnamese-American born in 2002. In the First Division, PVF-CAND FC has Martin Lo and Ryan Ha, both Vietnamese-Americans who previously played in the V-League. Meanwhile, the Vietnamese-American player in the reigning champions Ninh Binh is a very familiar name: goalkeeper Van Lam.

QUANTITY DOES NOT COME WITH QUALITY

With around 13 overseas Vietnamese players currently playing in the V-League and First Division, Vietnamese football has a promising reserve of talent for the national team. However, the contributions of overseas Vietnamese players in recent years have been limited. The most prominent among the overseas Vietnamese players in the V-League over the past two years are three names: Nguyen Filip, Cao Pendant Quang Vinh (CAHN FC), and Patrik Le Giang (TP.HCM FC).

Since joining CAHN FC in mid-2023, Nguyen Filip has consistently been the first-choice goalkeeper. The 1992-born goalkeeper went through difficult periods, such as in the latter half of the 2023-2024 season and the first half of the 2024-2025 season, when he made several errors leading to goals conceded, or struggled to adapt due to the language barrier. However, his professional training efforts, coupled with his attempts to learn Vietnamese to improve communication skills, helped the former Slovan Liberec goalkeeper regain his position.

This season, Nguyen Filip has kept six clean sheets in the V-League (averaging one goal conceded every 116 minutes), including four clean sheets in his last eight matches, with many crucial saves. He has consistently made spectacular saves to prevent goals for CAHN FC in matches against Ha Tinh and Ho Chi Minh City FC (V-League), as well as Buriram United and PSM Makassar (ASEAN Club Championship). Most recently, in the first leg of the Southeast Asian Cup final against Buriram, Nguyen Filip denied the visiting team at least three clear scoring opportunities. In the goalkeeper position, Patrik Le Giang, another Vietnamese expatriate, has also performed well, acting as a solid "wall" for Ho Chi Minh City FC (43 V-League matches over the past three years).

Cao Pendant Quang Vinh has played consistently well, appearing in 30 matches for CAHN FC across all competitions since the start of the season, missing only one game due to suspension. In 22 of those matches, Quang Vinh played the full 90 minutes. He showcased his class with comprehensive attacking and defensive skills on the left wing, possessing excellent physical fitness and skillful technique. Notably, despite playing in a defensive position that requires a lot of physical contact, Quang Vinh only received 3 yellow cards in those 30 matches. Along with Nguyen Filip, Quang Vinh is one of the rare overseas Vietnamese who have obtained Vietnamese citizenship and could potentially be included in the Vietnamese national team later this month.

The remaining overseas Vietnamese players are divided into two groups: those who play well but need more time for evaluation, such as Adou Minh and Viktor Le of Ha Tinh FC or Kevin Pham Ba of Nam Dinh FC, or those with no clear prospects, such as the duo Pierre Lamothe (6 matches) and Kyle Colonna (14 matches), who have yet to contribute much to Hanoi FC in the V-League. Overseas Vietnamese player Mark Huynh also recently made his first start for Hai Phong after 6 consecutive matches warming the bench. Center-back Zan Nguyen has only played in 2 matches for Ho Chi Minh City FC since the beginning of the season, with a total playing time of… 5 minutes.

In this group, only Viktor Lê has Vietnamese citizenship and has been given the opportunity to showcase his skills with the Vietnam U22 team. The rest are still in the process of integrating and waiting to apply for citizenship. Without a breakthrough in performance, it will be very difficult for the overseas Vietnamese players in the two groups above to be called up to the national team, even if they become Vietnamese citizens. ( to be continued )

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/cau-thu-viet-kieu-chat-vat-ov-league-185250518225654304.htm