Ho Chi Minh City Women's Club: Journey of faith, challenges placed on the shoulders of coach Tuan 'Nhim'

FIND BLUE ARMY IN HA NOI

On the afternoon of May 8, the Ho Chi Minh City Women's Club flew to Hanoi to prepare for an important training session from May 8 to 18, in preparation for the AFC Champions League. After a physical training period in Ho Chi Minh City, the reigning champion of the Vietnam Women's National Championship decided to go north for training because there are many quality players there. It is expected that on May 12, the Ho Chi Minh City Women's Club will have a friendly match with the Vietnam Women's Team, which is gathering at the Vietnam Youth Football Training Center. In addition, the team from the South is arranging another match with the Hanoi Women's Club or Thai Nguyen, before heading to Wuhan City (China) to prepare for the semi-final match against the host team Wuhan Jiangda.

It is expected that in Hanoi, the Ho Chi Minh City Women's Club will join two overseas Vietnamese female players who flew back from abroad, Nam Mi and Tram Anh - Nam Mi alone has a Vietnamese passport so she will play as a domestic player. Previously, foreign players including Pakistan women's team captain midfielder Maria Jamila Khan, midfielder Sakura Yoshida (Japan), center back Aubrey Goodwill and striker Sabrina Marie Cabrera (USA) trained in Ho Chi Minh City with the team. Unfortunately, midfielder Chelsea Le will be absent due to lack of time, after showing good integration and outstanding performance in the 2025 National Cup. This is also a difficulty that the coaching staff has foreseen, through continuous discussions with her and her family. Importantly, the incredible comeback against Abu Dhabi in the quarter-finals (winning 5-4 after being down 0-3 in the first half) once again showed that collective strength and formidable will will be the biggest support for the HCMC Women's Club.

Ho Chi Minh City Women's Club actively practices to prepare for the semi-final match

PHOTO: QUOC VIET

MR. TUAN " HYDROID " EXPERIENCE

Also during this training session, the Ho Chi Minh City Women's Club will introduce a new coach, meeting the criteria from the Organizing Committee to have a Pro certificate - the highest coaching qualification of the AFC. After a fairly successful group stage and quarter-finals, Coach Nguyen Hong Pham could not continue to accompany the team due to personal matters. However, the girls of the city will be supported by another famous player, Mr. Lu Dinh Tuan. The former "Maradona of Vietnam" possesses rich top experience at both the club and national team levels (assistant to Coach Park Hang-seo). In particular, Mr. Tuan "hedgehog"'s teaching experience as an AFC lecturer is expected to help the Ho Chi Minh City Women's Club gain more confidence and courage in the semi-final match against the home team Wuhan Jiangda on May 21. Also, if they win, Ho Chi Minh City Women's Club will play in the final match of the AFC Champions League 2024 - 2025 on May 24, against the winner of the match between Incheon Red Angles (Korea) - Melbourne City (Australia).

Having fought with the Vietnamese team at the top level of the continent such as the World Cup qualifiers, Asian Cup or ASIAD, Coach Lu Dinh Tuan has a lot of experience with Coach Park Hang-seo winning as the underdog. This is a valuable asset to support and compensate for Coach Doan Thi Kim Chi when the opponent Wuhan Jiangda is rated higher than the Ho Chi Minh City Women's Club, and at the same time has the home field advantage. The good news is that all injured players have recovered (including striker Tuyet Ngan and leader Huynh Nhu), ready to fight for the upcoming historic match.

Thuy Trang and K'Thua join forces in China

These days, two players, including Vietnam Golden Ball winner Tran Thi Thuy Trang and K'Thua, are competing with the Vietnam women's futsal team in the 2025 Asian Championship in Hohhot (China), competing for a ticket to the 2025 FIFA Women's World Cup. It is expected that after completing their national service, these two important players will take domestic flights in China to join the Ho Chi Minh City women's club after the team arrives in Wuhan on May 18.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/clb-nu-tphcm-hanh-trinh-cua-niem-tin-thu-thach-dat-len-vai-hlv-tuan-nhim-185250507212252308.htm