From V-League Pitches to the Continental Stage: Why Can't Vietnamese Football Still Dream Big?

Hook: The 88th minute and the price of naivety

That night, at My Dinh National Stadium, I sat in the press area, watching the clock tick from 87 to 88 minutes. On the pitch, Vietnam's winger was holding the ball on the right flank. Instead of crossing as everyone expected, he tried to dribble past the defender. The result: loss of possession, a quick counter-attack, and a goal conceded in stoppage time. The friendly international ended 1-2 in favor of the visitors. No one said it loudly, but I read the disappointment on the faces of tens of thousands of fans. This is not the first time we have lost this way, and it will not be the last if we do not confront the issue head-on.

I have followed Vietnamese football since I was a child watching a black-and-white TV, listening to national team matches on the radio. Over a decade in the industry, I have witnessed too many matches where we lost not because of a lack of talent, but because of a lack of tactical courage at decisive moments. Today, I want to talk about what no one wants to hear: Vietnamese football is deceiving itself with victories over weak opponents, and when facing truly strong teams, we are still naive children.

Context: The backdrop of complacency

Let's look at what has happened over the past five years. The national team won the 2026 AFF Cup, reached the final round of Asian qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, and clubs like Hanoi FC, Viettel, and most recently Thep Xanh Nam Dinh have achieved notable feats on the continental stage. Nam Dinh reached the quarter-finals of the 2026-2026 AFC Champions League Two, a commendable achievement. But look closer: where do these victories come from? From matches against Southeast Asian teams, or from matches against West Asian and East Asian teams where we often suffer heavy defeats?

The truth is, in the last 10 meetings with teams from Japan, South Korea, Australia, and Saudi Arabia, we have won only 1, drawn 2, and lost 7. A win rate of 10% is alarming. Yet, instead of focusing on these numbers, fans and media concentrate on victories over Laos, Cambodia, or Malaysia. We delude ourselves into thinking we are progressing, while in reality, the gap between us and Asia's top tier remains vast.

I remember once, after a 3-0 victory over Indonesia in the AFF Cup group stage, a young colleague wrote an article titled: "Vietnam is ready for the World Cup." I had to laugh, not out of joy, but out of naivety. Beating Indonesia 3-0 does not mean we can hold our own against Japan, where even bench players compete in top European leagues.

Core: Deep analysis of tactical and systemic flaws

1. The goalkeeper distribution issue: Overhyping a secondary skill

In Vietnamese football, a misconception is spreading: goalkeepers must be good with their feet, capable of precise distribution to build play from the back. It sounds modern, but in reality, we are overvaluing this skill while neglecting fundamental goalkeeper qualities: reflexes, command of the defense, and consistency.

Take the case of Dang Van Lam. He is a goalkeeper with excellent reflexes, having made crucial saves for the national team. But when he moved to a club that demanded his involvement in build-up play, he struggled. Conversely, a young goalkeeper with good distribution but poor reflexes is rated higher. This is a reversal of values. In big matches, spectacular saves are what make the difference, not short passes in our own half.

Data from Vietnam's last 20 matches shows we have scored only 3 goals from build-up play starting in our own half, while opposing goalkeepers made 12 outstanding saves against our shots. This suggests that forcing goalkeepers to play with their feet does not yield the attacking value we think, and it creates dangerous turnover risks.

Fans hate the truth, but I am not on air to be loved. The truth is, we are prioritizing a secondary skill while ignoring the core elements of the goalkeeper position. This reflects a common disease in Vietnamese football: chasing flashy, modern trends without understanding the essence of the game.

2. Youth development: The trap of academies named after stars

Over the past five years, we have witnessed an explosion of youth football academies named after former legends. Le Cong Vinh Academy, Pham Thanh Luong Academy, and many others have sprung up like mushrooms. It sounds good, but I want to ask: what do these academies actually produce?

Let's look at reality. Most of these academies focus on recruiting young talents and putting them through a pre-set training program. But they lack the most important element: good coaches with deep expertise in youth development. A great former star does not automatically become a great coach. They need training in pedagogy, age-specific psychology, and modern tactics.

I recall the 2026 National U19 Championship when I witnessed Huynh Cong Den dribble past 4 players in 20 seconds to score the decisive goal for Hanoi U19 against Nutifood U19. The 12,000 spectators at Thanh Hoa Stadium erupted. But where did Cong Den go afterward? He was not systematically trained, had no clear development pathway, and eventually became just an average player in the V-League. This is the story of countless Vietnamese talents: they shine briefly, then fade due to a lack of proper development systems.

Truth is hard to hear - these academies, for the most part, are commercial gimmicks. They use star names to attract parents to pay tuition fees. They lack long-term development strategies, certified coaching staff, and systems to track individual player progress.

Meanwhile, countries like Japan and South Korea invest heavily in grassroots coaching education. They have systematic coach certification courses (C, B, A licenses) aligned with AFC standards, constantly updated. They prioritize individual skill development, tactical thinking, and football culture from the grassroots level. What about us? We still dream of future stars while neglecting the people who create those stars: the coaches.

3. Data and betting: The dark side of digitalization

Another issue I want to address, one that few dare to mention, is the intrusion of betting data into Vietnamese football. In recent years, we have witnessed a boom in sports betting websites and apps. To serve this industry, real-time data providers have mushroomed. They collect data on every match, from the V-League to the first division, and sell it to betting companies.

I am not saying all data companies are illegal. But I want to point out that the digitalization of sports has created a dark side effect: it turns every match into a betting product, which can have serious consequences.

Look at a case in the 2026 V-League season, where there were suspicious movements in betting odds. A heavily favored team lost inexplicably. Later, it was discovered that some players from that team had acted unprofessionally. This is not rare in world football, but when it happens in Vietnam, we stay silent.

That U19 tournament taught me a lesson: the silence of editors is a crime. We have a responsibility to speak up, to investigate, to clarify these suspicious signs. But instead, many media outlets choose to ignore them, fearing damage to the league's image, losing advertisers, or facing lawsuits.

Contrarian: Where could I be wrong?

Of course, I could be wrong. Maybe I am too pessimistic. Maybe victories over Southeast Asian teams are not meaningless, but rather a foundation for bigger steps. Maybe youth football academies are doing better than I see. Maybe betting data does not affect match outcomes as much as I fear.

But I want to ask: why are we afraid to confront these issues? Why do we always seek excuses for failures instead of accepting and fixing them? I have followed Vietnamese football for over 10 years, and I see a vicious cycle: we lose, we blame the referee, the weather, the schedule, and then we lose again.

Maybe I am too harsh. Maybe I should be happy about recent achievements. But I believe that if we continue to be complacent, we will never achieve the World Cup dream. We need to face the truth, no matter how hard it is to hear.

Takeaway: A problem needing a solution, not comfort

So what should we do? I do not have a complete answer, but I have some suggestions.

First, we need to change our view of goalkeepers. Prioritize fundamental qualities: reflexes, command, consistency. Do not sacrifice these for a modern style we are not yet capable of executing.

Second, we need to invest in grassroots coach education. Do not just build academies named after stars; build professional coach training centers. Send young coaches abroad to learn, invite foreign experts to teach.

Third, we need more transparency in data management and combating illegal betting. Investigate suspicious signs, severely punish negative behaviors, and protect the integrity of football.

I do not know if these suggestions are right. But I know that if we continue as we are, we will forever be a mid-tier Asian team. We will keep beating Laos, beating Cambodia, and then losing to Japan, losing to South Korea. And we will keep comforting ourselves that we are progressing.

Everything I know about sports, I learned from my mistakes on air. And I have made many mistakes. But I still believe that only when we dare to face the truth can we change. And the truth is, we have a lot of work to do.

The final question I want to pose: Do we have the courage to acknowledge our failures, or will we continue to live in the illusion of a developing football nation? The pitch does not lie, and history will record our answer.