Why can't Dang Van Lam return to the Vietnam national team?

(NLDO) - Despite making a great contribution to helping Ninh Binh Club get promoted to V-League, goalkeeper Dang Van Lam is still not on the list of Vietnam national team.

Dang Van Lam has played 16 times for Ninh Binh Club in the 2024-2025 National First Division, keeping a clean sheet in 14 matches and only conceding 2 goals after 17 rounds. The overseas Vietnamese goalkeeper born in 1993 made a great contribution to helping the home team win the tournament 3 rounds early, earning a place to participate in the V-League in the 2025-2026 season.

Dang Van Lam impressed in Ninh Binh Club shirt

It was thought that Van Lam's impressive performance would score points with coach Kim Sang-sik, but the Korean strategist still crossed his name out of the list of players called up to the Vietnamese team to prepare for FIFA Days in June 2025.

Coach Kim focuses on creating fairness in the competition for a place in the national team. Through his performance in the home club, Van Lam, despite his high level, experience and courage, plays in the First Division with less pressure, making him not rated higher than his colleagues who have to stretch themselves in the V-League, such as: Nguyen Filip, Nguyen Dinh Trieu or his junior Tran Trung Kien (HAGL Club).

Van Lam and Ngoc Hai used to be the number 1 pillars of the Vietnam team.

Van Lam was the number 1 goalkeeper of the Vietnamese national team under coach Park Hang-seo, won the AFF Cup 2018, and was runner-up in this tournament in 2022. He was also honored in the best squad of the AFF Cup 2018 and the best squad of Southeast Asia 2019, and won the title of Vietnam Football Champion in 2023.

Van Lam's chances of returning to the national team are increasingly limited.

In the past 3 years, Van Lam and Nguyen Filip have been the two leading candidates for the "goalkeeper" position of the Vietnamese team.

However, Van Lam's weakness in ball handling technique with his feet caused him to lose the number 1 goalkeeper position to his colleague from the Hanoi Police Club.

After a period of shoulder injury, Van Lam also lost his place in the Vietnam national team.

The last time he wore the national team jersey was the 0-3 loss to Russia in an international friendly at My Dinh Stadium on September 5, 2024. In that match, Van Lam made a mistake that led to the second goal of the Vietnamese team.

In the context of Vietnamese football "producing" many talented young goalkeepers with impressive physique and condition, Dang Van Lam's chance to return to the Vietnamese national team is increasingly limited, as he is about to turn 32.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/vi-sao-dang-van-lam-chua-the-tro-lai-tuyen-viet-nam-196250526123947306.htm