Coach Kim Sang-sik takes charge of both the U23 team and the Vietnam national team.

This afternoon, VFF reached the final agreement with coach Kim. The Korean coach will take charge of the U23 team and the national team at the same time.

To avoid trouble like the case of Philippe Troussier before, the contract between the two parties can be divided into many stages, depending on the achievements in each tournament. In the immediate future, there is the AFF Cup 2024 and the SEA Games 2025.

Tomorrow, VFF will announce the decision to appoint coach Kim. Early next week, the 1976-born coach will meet the media at VFF headquarters (My Dinh 1, Nam Tu Liem district).

Mr. Kim used to play as a central defender and was called up to the Korean national team many times. After moving to coaching, he helped Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors win the 2021 Korean Championship (K-League) and the 2022 Korean National Cup. He was awarded the K-League Coach of the Year award in 2021 and the Korea Football Association Coach of the Year award in 2022. However, in early 2023, Kim was fired due to Jeonbuk's poor start (winning three out of 10 matches).

After being appointed by VFF, Mr. Kim will have to quickly start selecting players and training to prepare for the last two matches with the Philippines (June 6) and Iraq (June 12) in the second qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup. Vietnam is currently third in Group F with three points, four points behind the team right above, Indonesia, so the chance of going further is not much.

Vietnamese football was successful when it was "married" to Korean coach Park Hang-seo, from 2017 to 2023. The U23 and National Teams respectively reached the final of the 2018 U23 Asian Cup, won the 2018 AFF Cup, the semi-finals of the 2018 Asian Games, won the gold medal at the 2019 and 2021 SEA Games, and entered the third qualifying round of the 2022 World Cup for the first time.

After coach Park did not renew his contract, VFF signed a long-term contract with Philippe Troussier in early 2023. But then a long series of bad results, especially losing all three matches at the Asian Cup and two losses to Indonesia in the second qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup, caused the French coach to lose his job at the end of March.

In addition to poor results, coach Troussier has also been criticized for choosing a ball-controlling style of play that is not suitable for the ability and physical condition of Vietnamese players, as well as frequent criticism from fans and the media. Therefore, when signing a contract with coach Kim, VFF may include a clause allowing a professional council to give advice on the playing style if it feels inappropriate, as well as issues with statements.