Vietnam is also the Southeast Asian representative with the best performance in the U23 Asian Championship, finishing as runner-up in 2018; and the only representative from the region to have ever participated in the U20 World Cup after qualifying.
Over the past decade, Vietnam's youth football achievements can be considered the best in the region. Only Thailand can truly compete with us in youth football, while countries like Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore have failed and been forced to shift towards a policy of naturalizing players.
Few football nations maintain a long-term youth league system like Vietnam, not to mention we have leagues from U11 to U21, ensuring continuity to serve talent scouting and support the "output" of training centers. However, success in youth football does not guarantee stability at the national team level. For over 25 years, Vietnam has made its mark at the U-age level, approaching the Asian standard, but the national team only had a short period of breakthroughs in the FIFA rankings under coach Park Hang-seo. For most of the time, Vietnamese football has remained outside the top 100 in the world and top 20 in Asia, meaning it remains in the underdeveloped group.
We need a breakthrough in youth football, shifting from quantity to quality with a modern, different approach to capitalize on existing advantages. However, to achieve this, we need more courageous and enthusiastic decisions from those in football management, including the professional club system. For example, at the upcoming U17 national championship finals in Ba Ria ward (Ho Chi Minh City), 10 out of 12 teams bear the names of V-League clubs. This is a positive sign, showing, to some extent, the professional teams' interest in their successors. These U17 teams, whether they are trained by themselves or in partnership with other training institutions, mark a very clear shift, considering that in most previous U17 and U19 tournaments, this number usually did not exceed 50%.
In reality, youth football receives very little attention from clubs, businesses, and fans alike. While we have no shortage of youth leagues, the number of matches per year is very low, the competition format remains the same as it was 30 years ago, and the lack of involvement from social organizations means that media, marketing, and sponsorship are almost entirely neglected, making it difficult for youth tournaments to attract viewers. These factors have slowed the development of young players and are the reason why Vietnamese football is facing a paradox: the higher the level of play, the more it regresses in terms of skill and quality.
A breakthrough in youth football investment cannot be achieved simply by shouting slogans and waiting for the awareness of clubs and localities. Responsibility towards youth football needs to be promoted through mechanisms and policies to attract investment, sponsorship, and advertising resources. This could include incentives specifically for businesses involved in youth training, or the establishment of talent development funds. Furthermore, clear legal obligations or sanctions are needed for members affiliated with the Vietnam Football Federation regarding the development of U-teams and the proportion of players trained within the organization. Even localities, regardless of whether they have professional clubs, must allocate a proportionate share of their sports budget to youth football teams.
Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/trach-nhiem-voi-bong-da-tre-post812809.html
![[Photo] A large number of people offer incense and visit the Ho Chi Minh Memorial Church.](https://vphoto.vietnam.vn/thumb/1200x675/vietnam/resource/IMAGE/2026/02/21/1771668099014_ndo_br_12-resize-7721-jpg.webp)
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