The "return" wave of Vietnamese-origin players:

The player transfer market in Vietnam is bustling, especially with attention-grabbing deals involving Vietnamese-origin players playing abroad.

This is considered a valuable "capital", contributing to improving the quality of both domestic tournaments and national teams.

Player Do Nguyen Thanh Chung will play in Vietnam in the near future. Photo: Ninh Binh Club

The trend of recruiting overseas Vietnamese players is bustling.

The ongoing transfer season shows that the trend of selecting foreign players in the Vietnam Professional Football League (V.League) is becoming increasingly clear. According to current regulations, clubs are allowed to register a maximum of 2 players of Vietnamese origin who have not yet acquired Vietnamese nationality and these players are not counted in the foreign player quota. If they find players of Vietnamese origin with high professional qualifications, the team's strength will be significantly increased. In particular, in the case that these players possess dual nationality, they will be counted as domestic players and then the club as well as the national team will benefit.

However, the biggest challenge lies in finding players who meet all the criteria and are able to take full advantage of the regulations of the V.League. More importantly, how to convince them to return to play in Vietnam. To do this, clubs need strong financial resources to offer appropriate remuneration policies that match the players' abilities and expectations.

In fact, in recent years, many famous Vietnamese players have returned to play in Vietnam, among which, the most notable is Nguyen Philip. In addition to Nguyen Philip, other Vietnamese players such as Patrik Le Giang and Victor Le are also playing successfully in the V.League.

Recently, Slavia Sofia Club (Bulgaria) confirmed that player Do Nguyen Thanh Chung has officially joined Ninh Binh Club. From Bulgaria, Do Nguyen Thanh Chung signed a 5-year contract with Ninh Binh Club. Although only 20 years old, this midfielder had an impressive season at Slavia Sofia Club, and was in the top 3 nominees for the Best Young Player of Bulgaria award for the 2024-2025 season. Possessing the ability to control and recover the ball well, along with the ability to quickly change state, Do Nguyen Thanh Chung is expected to be the ideal piece next to Nguyen Hoang Duc - the leading organizing midfielder of Vietnamese football today.

It is not surprising that on the international transfer valuation site Transfermarkt, Hoang Duc's value is estimated at 250,000 euros, while Do Nguyen Thanh Chung's reaches 400,000 euros - an impressive figure for a 20-year-old Vietnamese player. Thanh Chung, who has played professionally since the age of 18 and has been on the radar of scouts from Barcelona (Spain), is expected to create a big boost for V.League with his appearance.

Not only Ninh Binh Club, Hanoi Police Club is also proactively approaching the wave of overseas Vietnamese players. Recently, they announced that they have successfully recruited Brandon Ly, a player born in 2005 who is currently playing for the U21 Burnley team (England). Brandon has a Vietnamese father of Chinese origin and an Irish mother. He can play in both defensive midfield and right-back positions, is 1m75 tall and has a good physique and fitness. Although he does not have Vietnamese nationality, Brandon Ly has expressed his desire to contribute to the national team in the future. With a solid technical foundation and training experience in the English football environment, he promises to be a quality addition if given the opportunity at Hanoi Police Club.

More options for the national team

In Vietnam, deals like Do Nguyen Thanh Chung or Brandon Ly are clear evidence of the trend of recruiting players of Vietnamese origin, especially talents who have grown up in European football environments. Quality contracts like Thanh Chung not only help clubs improve their professional strength, but also open up opportunities to supplement the national team.

The fact that Vietnamese players play in the V.League creates favorable conditions for the national team coaching staff to closely monitor and evaluate their professional skills as well as their adaptability. For example, Thanh Chung - a player with dual Vietnamese and Bulgarian nationality, has played for Bulgarian youth teams (U17, U19, U21) and is now eligible to play for the Vietnamese national team.

It is not difficult to understand why both experts and fans have high hopes that overseas Vietnamese players like Thanh Chung or Brandon Ly will soon join the "Golden Star Warriors" team, especially aiming to participate in the 2034 World Cup. Football expert Phan Anh Tu commented: "The appearance of many high-class Vietnamese players in the V.League will increase internal competition, creating motivation to improve the quality of competition and training at both club and national team levels."

With the foundation of a combination of quality domestic players, potential overseas Vietnamese and an increasingly professional V.League environment, Vietnamese football has every basis to reach new milestones.

Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/lan-song-tro-ve-cua-cau-thu-goc-viet-co-hoi-lon-cho-doi-tuyen-quoc-gia-711183.html