Coach Vu Hong Viet has been "transferred" to another position by Nam Dinh FC after winning two V-League championships.
Photo: Minh Tran
V-League changes coaches as often as it changes clothes.
The V-League 2025-2026 season is less than two-thirds of the way through, but four coaches have already been sacked: Teguramori Makoto ( Hanoi FC), Phan Nhu Thuat (SLNA), Nguyen Anh Duc (Becamex Ho Chi Minh City), and most recently, Nguyen Hong Viet, who was internally transferred by Nam Dinh FC.
That's a very significant number, considering that at the start of this season, four teams have sacked their managers, meaning that eight out of 14 clubs have had to change their head coaches so far.
Clearly, along with the increased investment from club owners, the "coach-churning machine" of the V-League is also increasing its capacity, with a staggering rate of one coach every two rounds in the 2025-2026 V-League season (if you include pre-season, it's almost one coach change per round).
Coach Harry Kewell (left) shakes hands with Ninh Binh FC head coach Albadalejo.
Photo: Minh Tú
This puts immense pressure on every coach this season, regardless of whether they are domestic or foreign. Even those leading weaker teams like SLNA or the reigning champions Nam Dinh FC have had to leave their positions.
In fact, the fact that clubs are warming up the coaching positions will give domestic coaches a greater impetus, forcing them to quickly develop their skills, especially considering that 5 out of 14 teams are currently employing foreign coaches.
At the same time, VPF and the V-League organizing committee are following AFC's requirements to raise coaching standards for V-League teams – mandating that club head coaches possess the highest level Pro coaching certificate issued by the AFC – which also encourages domestic coaches to hone, improve, and update their knowledge of world football.
Opportunities for young managers?
Coach Nguyen Cong Manh is helping Ha Tinh FC play consistently this season.
Photo: Minh Tú
Gone are the days of outdated, decades-long, word-of-mouth football management. Looking at the technical cabins of V-League clubs now, you can easily see screens for tactical analysis, video review sessions becoming the norm, alongside fitness assistants and foreign doctors.
Competing against foreign coaches from all over the world, from Eastern Europe (Velizar Popov, Tomislav Steinbruckner), Germany (Mano Polking), Japan (Teguramori Makoto, Adachi, Daichi), or the legend Harry Kewell, will only help local coaches learn more.
These trends will create even more opportunities for young coaches, who just a few years ago were still playing modern football and are proactively and systematically pursuing their coaching qualifications according to a clearly defined training program.
Coach Le Duc Tuan (right) helped Da Nang FC miraculously avoid relegation last season.
Photo: Da Nang Club
In the current V-League, we can see a wave of young coaches represented by Le Duc Tuan (Da Nang FC, born in 1982), Nguyen Cong Manh (Ha Tinh FC, 1982), Thach Bao Khanh (PVF-CAND, 1979), and Phan Nhu Thuat (SLNA), who has just become an assistant coach for the Vietnam U23 team.
But Vietnamese football becomes even more attractive when there is still room for talented coaches born in the 1970s, such as Le Huynh Duc (Ho Chi Minh City Police Club, 1972), Chu Dinh Nghiem (Hai Phong Club, 1972), Van Sy Son (SLNA, 1972)... who are influenced by the football philosophy of coach Henrique Calisto combined with their coaching experience in the V-League.
They will not stifle the development of young coaches; on the contrary, they will create pressure, challenges, and a filtering process to help young coaches hone their skills and become more mature and sharper. Who knows, one day they might even emerge to lead the Vietnamese national team, which for over a decade has been exclusively coached by foreign coaches.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/coi-xay-v-league-khac-nghiet-cang-giup-hlv-noi-len-tay-185251024214005526.htm
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