French man finds Vietnamese spirit through football.

With a Vietnamese grandmother, Francois Bibonne hopes to better understand his roots through his self-made film about football, which features coach Philippe Troussier.

In November 2023, 28-year-old Francois arrived in Vietnam with a small amount of money he had raised over several months through sponsorships and friends. Alongside this were unformed ideas for an upcoming film about Vietnamese football, which he believed would help him better understand his second homeland, a place he had only heard about through his grandmother's stories.

Francois during an interview with coach Troussier in November 2023. Photo: Provided by the interviewee .

Thanks to a connection made by an acquaintance, Francois met with Coach Troussier. At that time, the French coach was preparing for the matches between the Philippines and Iraq in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers - Asian region. Francois was granted a press pass by the VFF to attend these two matches as a journalist. After the Iraq match on November 21st, he met Coach Troussier in a small room at the Metropole Hotel in Hanoi .

"Coach Troussier is very friendly. He helped me understand more about the job of a coach, how a coach thinks, his spirit on the field, and how to connect with the players," Francois shared with VnExpress . "I also understand that you can't use your own logic to explain a coach's decisions. Troussier has an impressive ability to connect football and music . I think being the coach of the Vietnamese national team is a difficult job, but he wants to prove that he can create great things for football here."

During the 45-minute interview, Coach Troussier explained his football philosophy to Francois, something he rarely shares with the Vietnamese media. He compared the job of a head coach to that of a conductor of an orchestra and affirmed that he does not allow his team to have star players, but rather that every player must put their ego aside for the sake of the team's victory.

The short film The Symphony Wins

Coach Troussier talks about his football philosophy in a video made by Francois in Vietnam.

This viewpoint seems to have been demonstrated by Coach Troussier during his nearly one year leading the Vietnamese national team, since officially signing his contract on February 16, 2023. He has sidelined many stars and key players from the era of his predecessor, Park Hang-seo, and given opportunities to younger players. The 68-year-old coach wants the team to become an automated machine. He urges the players to make quicker decisions, be proactive, and confident.

To date, despite showing some positive signs when facing strong teams like Japan and Iraq, Vietnam under coach Troussier has not met expectations. The French coach's philosophy was questioned after the friendly match – a 0-2 loss to China on October 10, 2023, and especially the 0-1 loss to Indonesia on January 19, which led to Vietnam's elimination in the Asian Cup group stage.

Francois interviewed Guillaume Graechen, a French coach who has been training young players in Vietnam since 2007. Photo: Provided by the interviewee.

However, Coach Troussier was just one of the people Francois wanted to interview. He wanted to meet more players, coaches, and influential figures in Vietnamese football. These included the captain of the women's national team, Huynh Nhu; Coach Guillaume Graechen, who created the generation of players like Cong Phuong and Xuan Truong; and Ryan Ha, a Vietnamese-French player currently playing for Binh Duong FC.

However, finding people to interview is a challenging process. "There are many people I want to meet, but they are far away or unwilling. For example, I wanted to interview Huynh Nhu in Portugal, but it was too difficult," the French freelance filmmaker shared, adding that he also faced budget difficulties and admitted to not knowing much about football.

However, it was precisely this novelty that excited Francois and motivated him to pursue it. And the success of his first film three years ago further fueled his enthusiasm.

Francois at the premiere of the film "Once Upon a Time There Was a Bridge" in Vietnam in April 2023. Photo: Provided by the interviewee .

In 2021, Francois made his film debut in Vietnam with "Once Upon a Time There Was a Bridge," telling the story of Vietnam through classical music. The film won the Best Short Documentary award at the Los Angeles Film Awards in January 2022. To date, "Once Upon a Time There Was a Bridge" continues to be screened in many countries, including France, the United States, Belgium, and the United Kingdom. The next screening will be held at Harvard University on March 28th.

Francois believes that football will be a good way to connect Vietnam and France, as well as Vietnamese people all over the world. "My first impression of Vietnamese football came from social media. I could see how large the audience was and how excited the fans were after a successful match, for example at the SEA Games. I also think football is a magical tool to connect Vietnamese people overseas and those in Vietnam. I've heard many French people of Vietnamese descent in Paris talk about Vietnamese football," he remarked.

Francois revealed that he will seek to connect football with the rhythms of the Central Highlands' gongs, thereby further conveying Vietnamese culture to the outside world. He believes that football is also an art form and has its own unique cultural characteristics in Vietnam. "Recently, new academies have emerged following the success of JMG, VPF, and Park Hang-seo. In fact, Vietnamese football has a blend of Korean influence and Western culture from England and France," he said.

Francois and his grandmother, Nguyen Thi Khoan, around 1999-2000. Photo: Provided by the interviewee.

The filmmaker, born in 1995, was deeply influenced by his grandmother, Nguyen Thi Khoan. Born in 1934 in Hai Phong, she lived in Hanoi, Da Lat, and Ho Chi Minh City. In 1954, she emigrated to France with her husband and remained there until her death in 2018. During her time away from home, Mrs. Khoan often reminisced, told stories, and cooked Vietnamese dishes for her grandson. She also taught Francois his first Vietnamese words, such as "Hello," "Thank you," and "You're welcome."

"My grandmother always spoke highly of Vietnam and never mentioned the war. She visited Vietnam twice before she passed away. I always wished I could go to Vietnam with her. After she died, I finally had the chance to come back with my parents and older brother," Francois recounted. "Through her stories and after my first trip to Vietnam, there was something mystical about this place that compelled me to return. To this day, Vietnam is like my second home. No matter what happens, I will continue to return and explore more of this place. I have started learning Vietnamese and making Vietnamese friends."

Francois plans to return to Vietnam in September to interview the remaining individuals. He hopes the documentary will be completed by November.

Quang Huy

Source link: https://vnexpress.net/chang-trai-phap-tim-hon-viet-qua-bong-da-4710999.html