Hanoi Club and the journey to lay the foundation for the 2034 World Cup

Hanoi FC is nurturing a promising U.17 generation, building a solid foundation for Vietnamese football. With a long-term football philosophy, the purple color of the capital aims to contribute to bringing the team closer to the dream of the 2034 World Cup.

Loyalty in every stage

When midfielder Van Truong unfortunately suffered a serious injury and could not join the U.23 Vietnam team to conquer the 33rd SEA Games, many fans across the country in general and those who love the purple shirt of Hanoi Club felt extremely regretful.

They feel sorry for Van Truong and for Hanoi, a club with a rich identity that has contributed many talented faces to generations of Vietnamese teams conquering titles over the past ten years.

Hanoi Club and Mr. Hien have contributed significantly to the success of Vietnamese football over the years.

Photo: HN

They feel that the U.23 Vietnam team lacks the Hanoi FC quality, the quality that was once shown through the faces of Quang Hai, Hung Dung, Duy Manh, Thanh Chung... in the most glorious days of Vietnamese football.

But football is actually a continuous stream, and along its path, there will be twists and turns before the water converges into large rivers to flow into the ocean. The fact that Hanoi FC does not have any players in the Vietnam U.23 team this time could be such a bumpy part. But as a stream, continuity is always the first priority. Without continuity, without the previous wave and the next wave, a basin will never be created.

And at Hanoi FC, the story of the next wave is certainly a story that never ends. Simply, when fans still love, still express their right to demand, even put pressure to develop, the football people wearing purple shirts will have to continue to be steadfast in any stage, must always try to improve their own level, so that from there, contribute to a big river blending with the aspirations of Vietnamese football on the way to reach out to the world .

Those comments are not actually slogans, but are drawn from observing a whole process. That observation can even start from initial doubts, with the very "popular" question of the time: "What kind of football will Mr. Hien play?" or "How will Hanoi "play" football?

Doubts even existed until the time when Quang Hai, Van Hau... emerged as a phenomenon of Vietnamese football with the U.20 World Cup finals, then the U.23 Asian Cup in Changzhou (China), the AFF Cup, the SEA Games...

Prestigious youth training address

When old information was dug up, about the story of Hanoi Club investing in youth football when boys like Quang Hai were just a kid eagerly watching the seniors of the national team perform on TV, many people were surprised but also had a slight question about the sustainability and foundation of this training center. After all, for many years, Vietnamese people are still only familiar with a few famous training centers and assume that football clubs established after 2000 "do not know how to do youth football".

Many players of the current Vietnam U.17 team come from Hanoi Club.

Photo: HN

Now we can all erase that question mark, when U.17 Vietnam has just achieved an unprecedented miracle: winning all the U.17 Asian qualifiers with 30 goals scored and no goals conceded. That is a miracle that we have only heard and seen from big teams in Europe and when comparing ourselves with football teams in Asia, we always feel the need to be a little humble because Vietnam is not a team that wants to "bully anyone".

And yet, the Vietnam U17 National Team has done what seemed only possible in imagination. Of course, there will be people who think that the names in the same group as Macao (China), Hong Kong (China), Northern Mariana Islands are just small opponents.

However, Singapore and Malaysia are not opponents that allow anyone in Southeast Asia to underestimate. And if we connect with the AFC U17 Championship in the summer of 2025, looking at the 3 draws that made the opponents shake the net in all 3 against UAE, Australia, and Japan, we have the right to hope that Vietnamese youth football is still on the way to progress to raise the level.

These players played an important role in the Vietnam U.17 team winning the right to enter the U.17 Asian Cup finals.

Photo: HN

In the momentum of raising the level of Vietnamese youth football, the heart of Hanoi Club is increasingly shown clearly. In the U.17 Asian Cup last year, 8 young players of Hanoi Club participated in the national team. In the recent U.17 Asian Cup qualifiers, 5 players of Hanoi Club joined the team and scored. Nguyen Luc, Hoang Viet, Quy Vuong each contributed 1 goal while Manh Quan was the most outstanding player with 5 goals scored for U17 Vietnam.

Looking at the way those young players play football, reflecting on the journey of U.17 Vietnam at the U.17 Asian Cup, with Thang Long, Hong Phong, Thien Phu, Anh Kiet, Duc Duy, Viet Long... we can think of the period of Quang Hai, Van Hau..., players who played football together since childhood and from there formed a harmony and rhythm that helped create a strong collective like a solid block.

Continuing the dream

That is the necessary position to build a fundamental foundation for Hanoi football, to contribute a dignified voice with other large youth training centers to create a mindset for Vietnamese football in the process of rising up, raising its level and finding a way to step out into the world.

The action program towards the goal of winning a ticket to the 2034 World Cup must rely on young generations like that, not just on luck like "occasionally God gives a generation". Hanoi Club has created a football ecosystem, from U.9 to U.21 over the years, with many national titles at all ages, from U.21, U.19, U.17... And that is the flow of Hanoi football, carrying the spirit of Hanoi people, blending into the bloodline of Vietnamese football.

Coach of Vietnam U.17 team, Mr. Roland, is also a member of Hanoi Club.

Photo: HN

That inheritance also comes from building and maintaining identity when the current coach of U.17 Vietnam is also the coach of U.17 of Hanoi FC, Mr. Cristiano Roland. As a player who used to wear the Hanoi FC shirt, familiar with the alleys and personality of Hanoi people, Roland understands more clearly what the football ecosystem that Hanoi FC desires is.

Returning to Hanoi FC as the coach of the club's youth team in 2023, Roland led the Hanoi U.17 team to win the national championship twice in a row in 2024 and 2025. And now, the young people under his guidance are preparing for a new challenging journey: continuing to improve themselves when participating in the U.17 Asian Cup Finals and continuing the long-standing dream of Vietnamese football lovers of finding a way for the Vietnamese national anthem to resound in the World Cup arena.

When it comes to the World Cup, everyone understands that it is a long and difficult dream and requires many different stimulants for the development of a football industry as well as a national team. But difficulties are set to conquer, not to retreat.

The previous generation has not been able to do it, there must be a new generation to continue this long career. That succession must be a path of football, in which there is a great need for streams that know how to be patient, steadfast and nurture their minds, cultivate and invest to raise their level, in order to find a way to reach out to the world. Thereby, affirming a new position for national football.

In that big flow, there is always a purple color of Hanoi Club.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/clb-ha-noi-va-hanh-trinh-gieo-nen-mong-cho-world-cup-2034-185251202153829191.htm