Khoa Ngo (left) and Williams Lee celebrate a goal for Ho Chi Minh City Police FC in Round 12 of the V-League - Photo: CAHCMFC
For the first time in both the V-League and the First Division, Vietnamese players living abroad have collectively shone brightly.
In Round 8 of the 2025-2026 First Division League, defensive midfielder Eddie Tran scored the only goal, helping Bac Ninh FC win 1-0 away at Ho Chi Minh City FC. This was the first goal for the Vietnamese-Swedish player after 3 appearances (2 starts) for the team from Quan Ho region.
Eddie Tran is also only the second Vietnamese-born player to score in the First Division this season, after center-back Zan Nguyen of Ho Chi Minh City FC scored in the 1-0 victory against Long An in round 5 last October.
At the same time, Round 12 of the V-League 2025-2025 also saw an even higher number of Vietnamese expatriate players scoring goals. Striker Williams Lee (England) scored one goal and provided one assist for Khoa Ngo (Australia) to score in the 2-1 victory of Ho Chi Minh City Police Club against host team PVF-CAND.
For Williams Lee, this was the 1.90m tall striker's second consecutive goal in the V-League. Including the 2025-2026 National Cup, he has scored 3 goals.
Tran Thanh Trung celebrates his first goal for Ninh Binh FC in Round 12 of the V-League - Photo: NINH BINH FC
He has adapted extremely well since the 19-year-old moved to Ho Chi Minh City Police FC on a loan deal from The Cong - Viettel FC.
Khoa Ngo's goal was even more impressive considering it was only his debut match for the Ho Chi Minh City Police Club. The 20-year-old midfielder played aggressively and received much praise from fans.
Tran Thanh Trung, the most expensive overseas Vietnamese player in V-League 2025-2026, also scored a spectacular goal for Ninh Binh Club in the high-stakes "big match" against host team Hanoi Police.
Unfortunately, the first goal scored by this Bulgarian-Vietnamese player couldn't help Ninh Binh FC win the match, only reducing the score to 2-3 in their defeat.
Except for Eddie Tran, who is 30 years old and playing in the First Division, the other three Vietnamese-American players who scored goals all play in the V-League and are still very young and have much more potential to contribute to Vietnamese football.
Tran Thanh Trung and Khoa Ngo both have Vietnamese citizenship and are ready to join the national team if called up by coach Kim Sang Sik. Williams Lee does not yet have citizenship, but could potentially obtain it if he maintains his current impressive form.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/cau-thu-viet-kieu-toa-sang-20260202103010898.htm
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