Aspiring to achieve unprecedented success in their football history, the Vietnam national team sets its sights on going further than ever before in the upcoming Asia Cup hosted by Qatar. The 18th edition of the tournament is scheduled to take place from January 12th to February 10th of the following year across nine stadiums, which includes seven that hosted the 2022 World Cup matches. Vietnam will compete in Group 4 alongside Japan, the runners-up of the previous edition, Indonesia, and Iraq, the champions of the year 2007.
Vietnam’s football team, dubbed “The Golden Dragon,” was ranked 94th in the FIFA world rankings as of November last year, with their all-time high of 84th place achieved back in September 1998.
**Vietnam Football Federation History: A Journey through Time**
Founded in 1962, the Vietnam Football Federation joined the Asian Football Confederation and FIFA in 1964. Vietnam played its first official match under the unified flag on November 26, 1991, against the Philippines in the capital city of Manila, marking a 2-2 draw. Before the country’s unification in 1976, there were two separate teams representing North and South Vietnam.
South Vietnam’s team achieved notable success, finishing fourth in the Asian Cup twice, in 1960 and 1965. Vietnam made its first appearance in the early Asian Cup editions of 1956 and 1960 as “South Vietnam” and reached the quarterfinals in 2019. The team participated in the World Cup qualifiers in 1974 and 1993. With the same players and South Korean coach Park Hang-seo at the helm, the team achieved second place in the 2018 U23 Asian Championship and fourth in the Asian Games held the same year.
**Spotlight on Vietnam’s Top Players**
Among Vietnam’s standout players are Nguyen Quang Hai, with 42 international matches and 10 goals under his belt, and Nguyen Cong Phuong, who has scored 11 goals in 50 international appearances. Leading the all-time scoring charts for the country is the former international striker Le Cong Vinh with 51 goals and the record for most international appearances, totaling 83 matches.
**Coaching and Tactics Under Philippe Troussier**
In March of this year, the Vietnamese squad welcomed French coach Philippe Troussier, taking over from South Korean coach Park Hang-seo, who has been instrumental in guiding the Golden Dragon since 2017. Troussier’s reputable career includes coaching stints with Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, South Africa, Morocco, and Qatar, with his crowning achievement being the 2000 Asia Cup win with Japan and a runner-up finish in the 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup. His club management career spans notable teams like Tunisian side Sfaxien, Moroccan clubs Fath Rabat and Royal Army, French powerhouse Marseille, and South Africa’s Kaizer Chiefs.
Vietnam’s fixtures in Group 4 of the 2023 Asia Cup:
– January 14th: Japan vs. Vietnam (Al Thumama Stadium).
– January 19th: Vietnam vs. Indonesia (Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium).
– January 24th: Iraq vs. Vietnam (Jassim bin Hamad Stadium).
As Vietnam braces for the tough competition ahead, their progress in the Asia Cup will be closely watched by fans and analysts alike, who eagerly anticipate whether The Golden Dragon can soar beyond previous achievements and cement their place among the continent’s footballing elite.
