Waiting for the Vietnamese-American players to explode, V-League will be extremely interesting

Besides the championship and relegation races that are predicted to be very attractive, the 2025-2026 V-League season is also worth waiting for as there are many promising overseas Vietnamese players who are capable of playing for the national teams in the future.

Overseas Vietnamese players increase in both quantity and quality.

In the 2024 - 2025 season, a total of 15 overseas Vietnamese players are registered to compete. Among them, those who regularly play are Patrik Le Giang, Nguyen Filip, Adou Minh, Le Viktor, Mac Hong Quan, Kevin Pham Ba. Up to this point, 19 overseas Vietnamese players have been registered to compete in the 2025 - 2026 season. In addition, The Cong Viettel Club also has a "reserve" in Lee Williams, an overseas Vietnamese striker who grew up in England and is only 18 years old this year.

Le Viktor (14) went through a difficult time before being called up to the U.23 team by coach Kim Sang-sik.

PHOTO: DONG NGUYEN KHANG

The Vietnamese expatriates who are appearing in the V-League for the first time are also expected to shine when trained in a professional environment. First of all, there are two new recruits from Ninh Binh Club. The reigning first division champion attracted attention with two deals to recruit central midfielder Tran Thanh Trung and left-back Evan Abran, both born in 2005.

Thanh Trung is currently the most valuable player under 23 years old in Southeast Asia, valued at 400,000 euros (over 12 billion VND) by Transfermarkt. He also played for the Bulgarian U.18 and U.21 teams. Meanwhile, the French-Vietnamese player Evan Abran grew up in the Lyon (France) training center.

The new recruit of Hanoi Police Club, Brandon Ly (born in 2005), also received a lot of attention. Having played for Sheffield United U.18 and Burnley U.21 (both in England), this player is expected to become an important link in coach Alexandre Polking's system as he can play right-back and defensive midfielder.

The other name worth waiting for is Vadim Nguyen. He was born in 2005 and was called up by coach Philippe Troussier to the Vietnam U.23 team to prepare for the 2024 U.23 Asian Cup finals, but did not participate due to a match schedule with the U.19 FK Rostov team (Russia). This midfielder will play for Da Nang Club in the 2025-2026 season.

A DIFFERENT LOOK FOR VIETNAMESE FOOTBALL

One good thing is that the clubs all recruit very young overseas Vietnamese players; most of them are under 23 years old, qualified to compete in the 33rd SEA Games and can contribute to Vietnamese football for many more years.

This youthfulness also helps them to easily integrate into the playing style and football environment of Vietnam, while still having plenty of time to develop more comprehensively. With a training foundation from developed football environments, overseas Vietnamese players not only have good techniques and football thinking but also have the ability to adapt to many different tactical schemes. This promises to help improve the quality of the tournament, creating healthy and positive competition with domestic players.

Tran Thanh Trung - Vietnamese-American player of Ninh Binh Club

PHOTO: Ninh Binh Club

However, the challenges they face cannot be ignored. Differences in culture, weather, language and lifestyle may require some players to adapt. Field conditions in some localities are also a big challenge, especially for those who are used to playing in a professional football environment abroad. In addition, competing for a starting position with current key players requires them to make maximum efforts right from the first rounds, because many overseas Vietnamese players have played football in Vietnam for a long time but have not yet left their mark, such as Ryan Ha or Kyle Colonna. Le Viktor also took 2 seasons to prove himself before being called up to the U.23 Vietnam team by coach Kim Sang-sik.

If used properly, given the right opportunities and development environment, this generation of overseas Vietnamese can completely become the pillars of the national teams in the near future. V-League 2025 - 2026 is therefore not only a season of competing for titles, but also a test to verify the potential of the new "wave" of overseas Vietnamese - those who can create a different look for Vietnamese football in the coming years.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/cho-dan-cau-thu-viet-kieu-bung-no-v-league-se-cuc-hay-185250814212820755.htm