"Golden Star Warrior" needs a new version

The "Golden Star Warriors" therefore have a wide open door to win tickets to the final round of this playground taking place in Saudi Arabia.

The trend of "Westernization"

Football in Southeast Asia is undergoing major changes following the trend of "Westernization". Indonesia is playing quite well in the third qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup, which is typical of the "Westernization" policy. Although Singapore is no longer as popular as it was in the 1996-2006 period, the team still has a few foreign-origin players (of Japanese origin). The Philippines, which has been open to Western culture since early on, is no exception.

Fans expect the Vietnamese team (right) to improve in the near future. Photo: THAO HOANG

The Thai national team also no longer uses purely local players. Jonathan Khemdee, James Beresford, Nicholas Mickelson... - players who have faced the Vietnamese national team - are mostly born abroad. Objectively speaking, "Westernization", if legal and in accordance with regulations, will help Southeast Asian football increase its competitiveness in the continent as well as in other major tournaments such as the World Cup qualifiers.

We used to be very proud to be the team with the most distinctive identity in the region, with the core of domestic players and a few overseas Vietnamese returning to wear the "Golden Star Warriors" shirt. Under coach Park Hang-seo, the Vietnamese team only has goalkeeper Dang Van Lam with Vietnamese-Russian blood. Recently, the selective use of naturalized players such as Nguyen Xuan Son (Brazilian origin) has brought about clear results at the AFF Cup 2024. This requires the Vietnamese team to add "Western quality" to avoid falling behind its opponents.

Powerful restructuring

In the context of Vietnam's direct competitors in the region becoming stronger and stronger, the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) and coach Kim Sang-sik are restless. The Vietnamese team does not necessarily need to massively follow the trend of naturalization or change the squad structure like many countries, but change is always the nature of life. Therefore, coach Kim Sang-sik needs to flexibly apply solutions to build a new version of the Vietnamese team, suitable for the current context.

Currently, there are 3 resources expected to help the Vietnamese team "transform". Firstly, there is a generation of potential players in the U23 team such as goalkeeper Tran Trung Kien, defenders Ly Duc, Hieu Minh; midfielders Van Truong, Xuan Bac, strikers Dinh Bac, Thanh Nhan... This generation of players is increasingly proving their mettle and ability. Many of them are the current champions of the U23 Southeast Asian Championship and will have useful experiences in the final round of the U23 Asian Championship (taking place in January 2026). This is a great opportunity for them to hone their mettle, ready to replace the senior players in the national team in the near future.

Second, Vietnam has witnessed an increasing wave of overseas Vietnamese players returning home. Recently, players such as Victor Le, Adou Minh, Patrick Le Giang... have more or less proven their abilities in the V-League. Some other factors such as Lee Williams, Tran Thanh Trung, Brandon Ly... are also looking for opportunities to join the national team. Among these, some names have been tested at the national team level such as Cao Pendant Quang Vinh, Victor Le.

Third, the "localized" foreign player resource is a real turning point, significantly upgrading the capacity of the Vietnamese team. Nguyen Xuan Son, after his effective contributions to the AFF Cup 2024, has become a "model" in selecting naturalized foreign players. Currently, the VFF andSHB Da Nang Club have promoted the naturalization of defender Gustavo Sant Ana to improve the quality of the Vietnamese national team's defense, which is also a good sign. In addition, Hendrio (Do Hoang Hen) is also very close to joining the team when he is about to become a Vietnamese citizen.

With outstanding talent and technique, having been trained at the famous La Masia academy, he can strengthen the midfield of the Vietnamese team.

The two matches against Nepal at Go Dau and Thong Nhat stadiums in Ho Chi Minh City in October and the away match against Laos in November 2025 within the framework of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers will be the matches for Mr. Kim Sang-sik to create a stronger Vietnam team in the future.