Opportunities for empowerment and potential challenges

VHO - The successful recruitment of young Vietnamese midfielder Do Nguyen Thanh Chung from Slavia Sofia (Bulgaria) by Ninh Binh Club is creating great attraction in the V.League transfer market. This is a special deal, not only because of its financial value and media factors, but also because of its long-term impact on the human resource development strategy of Vietnamese football.

Strengthen internal strength, expand strategic vision

At the age of 20, Chung has played 46 matches in the Bulgarian National Championship and has played for the Bulgarian U17, U19 and U21 teams. His decision to return to Vietnam to play and sign a long-term contract with Ninh Binh FC opens up many opportunities for both the club and Vietnamese football, but at the same time also carries many risks.

Ninh Binh's recruitment of Thanh Chung helps the new V.League team have a young midfielder with great potential, trained in a European environment. Chung is considered a modern shuttle midfielder, with good physical strength, the ability to recover the ball and move widely.

At Slavia Sofia, he has played nearly 2,600 minutes in the Bulgarian National Championship, a football country ranked 84th in the FIFA rankings. That shows that Chung is not only a young name but also has top-level competition experience. In the context of Ninh Binh having just strengthened a series of pillars such as Duc Chien, Ngoc Quang and quality foreign players from Brazil and Spain, the appearance of Thanh Chung will contribute to completing a competitive and promising midfield.

Thanh Chung now has Vietnamese nationality and is eligible to play for the national team after completing the procedure of transferring the federation from Bulgaria to Vietnam. This means that U23 Vietnam can completely call him up for the upcoming 33rd SEA Games in Thailand, while the national team also has a new option for the midfield.

This is a significant advantage when considering the goal of rejuvenating and upgrading the squad of Vietnamese football. In terms of media, the return of a player of Vietnamese origin who once played for the U21 team of a European team is a big highlight, attracting the attention of fans at home and abroad, contributing to spreading a positive image for V.League.

From a policy perspective, the Thanh Chung deal is in line with the policy of the Party, the State and the Vietnam Football Federation in attracting Vietnamese talent abroad. The fact that an overseas Vietnamese player is signed to a long-term contract (5 years, with a 3-year extension clause) is clear evidence of a sustainable development orientation and in-depth investment.

If the transfer fee for this player is around 10 billion VND as many sources have reported, it is reasonable when compared to the level of high-quality domestic player deals such as Duc Chien (rumored to be 18 billion VND in signing-on fee), Chau Ngoc Quang (12 billion VND), or Quang Hai (9 billion VND per season at CAHN). If Thanh Chung develops as expected, he can become a profitable investment both professionally and commercially.

Adaptation barriers and expectation pressures

However, it cannot be denied that the deal also comes with many challenges. Thanh Chung is still very young, only 20 years old and has not yet fully formed a stable playing style.

Returning to an environment with different intensity and pressure like V.League can affect his development, especially in the pivotal stage of his career. High salary (although not up to 12 billion/year as rumored) also puts pressure on players to show immediate effectiveness.

In fact, many overseas Vietnamese players have returned to play in the country but have not met expectations. Mac Hong Quan and Toni Le Hoang are typical examples. Although they were praised when playing abroad, they all had difficulty integrating and maintaining their form in the V.League.

In recent years, the wave of Vietnamese-origin players returning to the country has been increasing, but the number of those who stay and make a real mark is very small. Except for some goalkeepers like Dang Van Lam or Patrik Le Giang, there are almost no outstanding faces in other positions for a long time. The difference in training environment, living culture, and even expectations from the media and fans makes it easy for overseas Vietnamese players to encounter psychological barriers if they are not well oriented.

For Do Nguyen Thanh Chung, the long-term contract is proof of the expectations from both sides. But the most important thing is still the process of integration, adaptation and proving ability on the field.

If he performs well, Chung can set a positive precedent, helping to encourage many other overseas Vietnamese talents to return and contribute to the country's football. On the contrary, if he fails to meet expectations, this will be a great lesson in how to evaluate and invest in special personnel such as overseas Vietnamese players.

In the overall picture of the 2025/26 V.League transfer scene, Ninh Binh's recruitment of Thanh Chung is a bright spot in terms of strategic thinking. Instead of focusing only on domestic stars or familiar foreign players, the club has proactively sought and placed its trust in a young talent grown from abroad, with a long-term goal.

If this deal is successful, it will be a clear affirmation that Vietnamese football not only needs famous names, but also needs systematic investment, patience and the ability to discover and nurture new factors, regardless of where they come from.

With all the above factors, Ninh Binh's deal to recruit Do Nguyen Thanh Chung is a strategic gamble. The answer to success or failure lies on the pitch and how this player takes advantage of the opportunity to prove himself worthy of expectations.

Ninh Binh Club's website reported that Do Nguyen Thanh Chung has just entered the top 3 of the Best Young Player of Bulgaria award for the 2024-2025 season. With a playing style that focuses on controlling, defending and recovering the ball well, Thanh Chung even entered the top 5 young players with the most interceptions in European championships (except for the top 5 national championships). These are the professional factors that make many experts believe that Thanh Chung will be a perfect complement and combination with Hoang Duc - a midfielder who focuses on attacking and organizing the game.

Source: https://baovanhoa.vn/the-thao/co-hoi-tang-suc-manh-va-thach-thuc-tiem-an-158126.html