Gone are the days when Vietnamese clubs lacked interest in the international arena.

V-League clubs have never won continental or regional football cups. However, if we are determined, we can completely change that reality next season.

CAHN and Nam Dinh clubs are allowed to participate in international tournaments.

Last season, there were two Southeast Asian clubs in the finals of the Asian Cups. The first team was Lion City Sailors (Singapore), who reached the finals of the AFC Champions League 2. The second team was Svay Rieng (Cambodia), who reached the finals of the AFC Challenge League. Lion City Sailors and Svay Rieng were successful in the Asian Cups last season, thanks to their determination and knowing how to choose the best form for these tournaments.

CAHN Club (72) is the current runner-up of the Southeast Asian Cup C1.

PHOTO: MINH TU

The two representatives of Vietnamese football participating in the Asian Cup C2 and the Southeast Asian Cup C1 next season include the reigning V-League champion Nam Dinh and the reigning National Cup champion Cong An Ha Noi (CAHN). These are two very strong teams of Vietnamese football, at least they are not weaker than the two teams of Singapore and Cambodia.

CAHN Club is the team that reached the final of the 2024 - 2025 Southeast Asian Cup C1. Coach Mano Polking's team possesses the technical quality of the best domestic players in the country, including Quang Hai, Viet Anh, Dinh Trong, Le Van Do, Phan Van Duc, Cao Pendant Quang Vinh, and the strength of foreign players, including Hugo Gomes, Alan Alexandre, Leo Artur.

Most importantly, CAHN Club shows great determination in the international arena. They really desire to conquer the Southeast Asian title at the club level. This is what makes CAHN Club different from many representatives of Vietnamese football in international tournaments in previous years.

In the past, many V-League clubs were afraid of deploying troops on many fronts, because they were afraid of the cost, and because they considered the Asian or Southeast Asian Cups to be only secondary arenas, so they were not really determined in the international arena. The success of CAHN Club last season proved that if the playing attitude of Southeast Asian teams changes, our achievements in the continental and regional arenas can completely change.

On the other side of Vietnamese football is Nam Dinh. This team also owns many good players of domestic football including goalkeeper Nguyen Manh, defender Van Vi, Hong Duy, midfielder Tuan Anh, Ly Cong Hoang Anh, striker Van Toan, plus foreign players Lucas Araujo, Joseph Mpande, Caio Cesar. Not only that, next season, Nam Dinh will have the return of striker Nguyen Xuan Son, so it is likely that they will be even stronger than now.

Relative strength with opponents

Among the opponents of CAHN and Nam Dinh clubs in the Asian Cup C2, there are only 3 really strong teams: Gamba Osaka (Japan), Pohang Steelers (Korea) and Macarthur FC (Australia). The remaining teams are from Southeast Asia, or representatives of China (Beijing Guoan Club) or Hong Kong (Tai Po and Eastern Club), not stronger than the teams in the V-League.

For most of the journey in the Asian Cup C2 next season, V-League teams will only compete with teams from the East Asia region mentioned above. It is not until they reach the final that CAHN and Nam Dinh clubs will face teams from the West Asia region. Therefore, we do not need to pay attention to the West Asia teams at this time.

In the Southeast Asian Cup C1, CAHN Club is in Group A with Buriram United, BG Pathum United (Thailand), Selangor (Malaysia), Tampines Rovers (Singapore) and the winner of the play-off match between Kasuka (Brunei) and Dynamic Herb Cebu (Philippines).

Nam Dinh are in Group B with True Bangkok United (Thailand), Johor Darul Tazim (Malaysia), Lion City Sailors (Singapore), Svay Rieng (Cambodia) and the winner of the play-off between Ezra FC (Laos) and Shan United (Myanmar). Overall, none of these teams are significantly stronger than the Vietnamese teams. CAHN Club and Nam Dinh therefore have a chance to succeed in the regional tournament.

The group stage of the Asian Cup C2 will begin on September 17 this year, and the tournament will last until May 16, 2026. The Southeast Asian Cup C1 will begin on August 8 this year, and will last until May 27, 2026.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/da-qua-roi-thoi-ky-cac-clb-viet-nam-thieu-man-ma-voi-dau-truong-quoc-te-185250706210724604.htm