A sleepless Hanoi night: The journey of Vietnamese football through sweat, tears, and World Cup dreams

There are nights in Hanoi when I believe the whole city breathes with the same rhythm. Not the rhythm of motorbikes, not the sound of horns from crowded intersections, but the rhythm of a ball rolling on My Dinh pitch under yellowish floodlights. That is the rhythm of a nation dreaming of one day standing on the biggest stage on the planet. I have walked across many pitches around the world, sat at Luzhniki Moscow when Modric left the field with trembling legs, stood in Maracana on the night Brazil collapsed 1-7 to Germany, but I have never felt the weight of a dream like when I sat on My Dinh stands on a night the Vietnamese team faced an opponent many times larger. My notebook is wetter than I thought. Not because of rain, but because of my own tears when witnessing a country with more than 100 million people, without a long football tradition like Argentina or Brazil, rising from shattered defeats to write a story that all of Southeast Asia must look up to. I write this not to honor anyone, but to document a journey I was fortunate to witness from an old press box, with eyes that have dimmed but are still bright enough to see things that scorelines never tell. The context of Vietnamese football in 2026 and 2026 is a multi-layered painting that people only see on the surface if they are not patient. The surface is the numbers: the Vietnamese national team ranked 114th on the FIFA rankings in early 2026, dropping from 95th in 2026 after Park Hang-seo departed. V.League 2026-2026 witnessed the dominance of Hanoi FC and Nam Dinh with thrilling title races, with Nam Dinh winning the V.League 2026-2026 championship with impressive form. CLB Hanoi, champions of V.League 2026 and 2026, continued to be a force but had to spread resources across continental arenas. The U-23 Vietnamese team under coach Kim Sang-sik was finding itself again after the golden generation of 2026-2026 had retired or moved to Japan and Korea to play. But beneath those numbers is a much more complex story. That story begins with the youth development system gradually maturing, with players like Nguyen Quang Hai who went to France to try his luck at Pau FC but returned, with Pham Tuan Hai shining at CLB Hanoi, with goalkeeper Dang Van Lam who has been through three different journeys to become the number one. That story also includes pains: a generation of young players expected too much but not ready for peak pressure, a football foundation that depends on a few outstanding individuals rather than a sustainable system. I sat at My Dinh stadium during the Vietnam-Iraq match in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers on June 11, 2026. The match ended 0-3 for the visitors. But I don't remember much about the goals. I remember a boy of about 12 sitting in front of me, wearing a red shirt with yellow star, eyes red but not crying. When the final whistle sounded, the boy turned to look at me and said a sentence I will never forget: "Uncle, we will win next time, right?" I couldn't answer. I just nodded, because I knew the right answer was not in the score, but in how we stand up after stumbling. That is why I write this. Not to analyze tactics, not to provide xG or PPDA numbers meant only for closed meetings. I want to write about the people behind failed passes, about tears not captured by cameras, about how a small nation can nurture such a grand dream. Vietnamese football is not a fairy tale, it is a story of patience, and patience never gets televised. Looking back at the journey from 2026, when the U-23 Vietnamese team first in history reached the semifinals of the U-23 Asian Championship in China, to today, Vietnamese football has taken steps that even insiders find astonishing. The 2026 Asian Cup finals, the 2026 Asian Cup quarterfinals, the first-ever third round of 2026 World Cup qualifiers, the 1-0 victory over China on February 1, 2026 at My Dinh during Tet Lunar New Year - all these moments have carved an indelible mark in the collective memory of Vietnamese people. The chant "Vietnam champions" is not just a slogan, it is the breath of a nation learning to believe in itself. But after glory there are always shadows that few dare to look at. The departure of coach Park Hang-seo in January 2026 left a void not easily filled. His successor Philippe Troussier with a Spanish-style possession philosophy did not succeed, he was sacked in March 2026 after a string of poor results, especially the 0-3 defeat to Indonesia at home. Coach Kim Sang-sik from Korea took over, bringing a more pragmatic philosophy, and initial results showed he was gradually stabilizing the players' psychology. But that is only part of the story. The deeper part lies in the youth system, where V.League has not truly become a high-level training ground but rather the final destination for talents from training centers like HAGL, SLNA, PVF. I visited the PVF youth football training center in Hung Yen on a winter day in 2026. This center, established in 2026 with the support of Belgian experts, has trained hundreds of young players for Vietnamese football. I stood on the training field, watching boys aged 14, 15 running in the cold, sweat freezing into mist on their shirt collars, and I instinctively thought of children in Aktobe, Kazakhstan or in Manaus, Brazil. Football is not innate talent, football is the repetition of movements so simple they are boring, and that repetition only has meaning when there is a dream big enough to motivate. I asked a 15-year-old boy what his dream was. The boy looked at me, his eyes lighting up, and said: "I want one day to wear the national team jersey, to sing the national anthem in front of 40,000 people at My Dinh." I said nothing, just noted it in my notebook. That is an answer no contract can buy. Now, let me go into the core of the story - tactics and identity of Vietnamese football. Throughout the era of coach Park Hang-seo from 2026 to 2026, the Vietnamese national team built an organized defensive counter-attacking style, based on a flexible 3-4-3 or 3-5-2 formation, with a solid defense and quick ball development through fast strikers. This is not a beautiful football philosophy like tiki-taka, but it is effective in the Southeast Asian context, where opponents are not strong enough to break Vietnam's five-man defensive line. The 1-0 victory over UAE on November 14, 2026, the 3-1 victory over Malaysia in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers - those results proved that coach Park's philosophy was not luck. However, when opponents elevated to the third round of 2026 World Cup qualifiers with teams like Japan, Australia, Saudi Arabia, the limitations in ball control became clear. Vietnam lost 0-1 to Australia on September 7, 2026, lost 0-3 to Japan on November 11, 2026, lost 0-4 to Japan on March 24, 2026. But amid those defeats there were still proud moments: the 1-1 draw with Japan on February 11, 2026, a result few dared to dream of when the qualifiers began. Coach Kim Sang-sik came with a different philosophy. He favored the classic 4-3-3, requiring players to have high pressing ability and better ball control. This posed a major challenge: the current squad is not trained for that philosophy. In the match against Laos on September 5, 2026 in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers, Vietnam won 4-1 but still conceded a goal from an incomplete press. The match against Russia on September 5, 2026 at My Dinh ended 0-2 for the visitors, showing the gap in level with the world's top teams is still very far. But I do not see this as a defeat, I see it as an opportunity to learn, because football is not measured by the score but by the distance you narrow over time. The tactical story of Vietnamese football is also tied to the human story. Look at the striker position: after Nguyen Cong Phuong, Nguyen Van Toan gradually lost their peak form, a new generation is rising. Pham Tuan Hai of CLB Hanoi has scored important goals, but he still lacks the necessary stability. Nham Manh Dung, the hero of the match against Thailand in the SEA Games 31 semifinals in 2026, is finding himself again after injury. And there are lesser-mentioned names like Pham Dinh Duy, Bui Vi Hao, young players waiting for opportunities in V.League. Each of them carries their own story - some from poor villages, some orphaned young, some who dropped out of school to pursue their passion - and all are continuing to write a story whose ending we do not yet know. In the goalkeeper position, Dang Van Lam remains number one at age 32. He has been through a strange journey: born in Russia with a Russian mother and Vietnamese father, returning to Vietnam with his father as a child, trained at HAGL, then went to Russia to play for clubs like Spartak Moscow, then returned to Vietnam to wear the jersey of CLB Hai Phong, currently CLB Binh Duong. He is a bridge between two cultures, and that very strangeness creates his unique identity. I interviewed him in Russia in 2026, and he told me: "I always feel I am Vietnamese, not because of papers, but because I cry when I hear the Vietnamese national anthem." That is a sentence I cannot forget. The defensive line remains the anchor of the national team, with names like Que Ngoc Hai, Bui Tien Dung, and especially Do Duy Manh - a player who has been through many serious injuries but still stood up to wear the national team jersey. Duy Manh is one of the best central defenders of his generation, he has played in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers and 2026 Asian Cup, and he represents something I always believe in football: resilience is more important than talent. Now, I want to talk about a blind spot that public opinion often overlooks: dependence on a past golden generation. The 2026-2026 golden generation with Quang Hai, Cong Phuong, Van Toan, Tien Dung, Van Hau made history, but history does not play football. They have or are at career crossroads: Quang Hai went to Pau FC in France in June 2026 but played only 7 matches and returned, currently wearing CLB Hanoi's jersey; Doan Van Hau went to SC Heerenveen in the Netherlands in 2026 but also did not succeed and returned; Cong Phuong went to Sint-Truiden in Belgium in 2026, to Incheon United in Korea in 2026, then also returned. Their stories show two things: one is that Vietnamese football has players worthy of European clubs' attention; two is that European football is still a world too far in terms of level. That truth is not comfortable, but it needs to be said. There is a big question that few dare to ask: is Vietnamese football developing in the right direction, or just taking advantage of a rare talented generation? Our youth system still has not produced a generation of players as even as the golden generation. Major training centers like PVF, HAGL JMG, SLNA all have certain capabilities, but their outputs still have not reached the level to sustainably compete at the continental stage. The U-23 Vietnamese team at the 2026 U-23 Asian Championship finals in Qatar could not get past the group stage, a disappointing result showing the generational gap clearer than ever. But I am not pessimistic. I have witnessed too many stories going from darkness to light in my life. I remember in 2026, when the Independent newspaper where I worked was founded, no one thought a small newspaper in a small country could survive long. I remember in 2026, when I covered the World Cup finals in America, no one believed football would become a global industry as it is today. I remember in 2026, when I was a boy playing for Cruzeiro in Brazil, no one believed a child from a distant country could become a professional footballer. Life has always taught me that patience is a more important measure than talent. Vietnamese football is in a transitional phase full of difficulties but also full of opportunities. V.League still has inherent problems: lack of professionalism in financial management, referee corruption improved but still present, infrastructure at many stadiums still not up to standard, the referee force still not strong enough to meet modern football requirements. However, there are positive signals: CLB Hanoi and Nam Dinh have made more systematic investment efforts, clubs are paying more attention to youth training, overseas Vietnamese players like Jayden Nguyen are being given opportunities. Each small signal is a brick building a bigger football foundation. Look at Thailand to see how far we still have to go. Thailand with a football development that started earlier, has a more professional Thai League, has many players who have played in Japan and Europe. But even Thailand has only passed the second round of 2026 World Cup qualifiers once, and at the 2026 Asian Cup, they also only stopped at the round of 16. Southeast Asian football, despite certain progress, is still very far from the football powers of Asia like Japan, Korea, Iran, or Australia. Japan has qualified for 7 World Cups, Korea 11 times, Iran 6 times. That number reminds us that the World Cup dream, however beautiful, still needs a long journey. I want to talk about another perspective, one that public opinion often overlooks: the role of the audience. In the Vietnam-Iraq match on June 11, 2026 that I mentioned at the beginning of the article, My Dinh stadium had only about 15,000 spectators, a very modest number compared to the stadium's 40,000 capacity. Many people think that is because the national team is in poor form. But I think differently. I think Vietnamese people are gradually maturing in how they love football - no longer a passionate love leading to irrational expectations, but a calmer love, knowing how to accept defeat and continue to support. That is a sign of maturity that few notice. Another perspective I want to mention: Vietnamese football is being affected by the wave of young players going abroad. Nguyen Quang Hai went to France then returned, Doan Van Hau went to the Netherlands then returned, Nguyen Cong Phuong went to Belgium, Korea then returned. Some young players currently also have opportunities to go abroad: there are rumors that some Japanese and Korean clubs are watching Pham Tuan Hai, Khuat Van Khang. This is a positive trend for improving the level, but also raises the question: how to retain talents in V.League while creating conditions for them to develop in a better environment? That is a problem any football foundation must face. I also want to talk about something analysts often overlook: the spiritual value of football for a nation. Football is not just a sport, it is a common language, a way to connect people of all social classes. I have witnessed at roadside cafes in Saigon, middle-aged men in shorts and sandals watching football with the same passion as fans in My Dinh stands. Football is one of the few things that all Vietnamese, whether rich or poor, in city or countryside, can share. And that is why every victory of the national team has meaning greater than a simple sports result. But what I want to emphasize most is this: football is not everything. Football is a part of life, not life itself. I have seen fans so passionate they forget to eat, forget to sleep, forget even their families just because of a match. I have seen young players burned out by the huge pressure from fan expectations. I have seen coaches ruthlessly criticized on social media just because of one loss. Football needs to be loved more healthily, viewed more soberly. A loss is not a catastrophe, a win is not paradise. All are just part of a long journey that a football foundation must go through. I remember a small story I want to share. In 2026, when the U-23 Vietnamese team won the gold medal at the 30th SEA Games in the Philippines after a 1-0 victory over U-23 Indonesia, I stood at Tan Son Nhat airport to welcome the players back. Thousands of people packed the airport, holding red flags with yellow stars, crying, shouting, hugging each other. In that crowd, I saw an old man of about 80, hunched back, standing quietly in a corner of the airport. I went up and asked: "Sir, who are you waiting for?" The old man turned, eyes wet, and said: "I am waiting for my grandson. He plays in the U-23 team, he is the right back. He has trained here for 6 years." I asked: "Are you proud?" The old man answered: "Very proud. But I am not proud because he won, but because he dared to stand up after losing 0-4 to Thailand in the group stage." That sentence has stayed with me for 6 years. That is exactly what I want to convey in this article. Vietnamese football is not lacking talent, not lacking ambition, not lacking love from fans. What we need is patience, sobriety, and a long-term vision. A golden generation has passed, but that does not mean the next generation will not come. It will come, but perhaps not as brilliant as the previous one, and that is completely normal. Football is a cycle, and in that cycle, what matters is that we keep the flame of passion burning softly rather than letting it flare up and extinguish completely. I am 69 years old, and I have been through many football generations around the world. I have seen great football foundations like Brazil, Argentina, Germany go through difficult periods, and they still stand up. I have also seen small football foundations like Iceland - a country with only 380,000 people - qualify for the 2026 World Cup finals, the 2026 European Championship, and beat England 2-1 in the round of 16 of Euro 2026. Iceland had no population advantage, no long football tradition, but they had something that many great football foundations do not have: the unity of an entire nation. Vietnam has that. We just need to organize it properly. In the coming years, Vietnamese football will have to face many challenges. The 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers, international youth tournaments, the 2030 World Cup qualifying campaigns - all will be important tests. But I believe, with an increasingly complete youth training foundation, with the attention of sponsors and businesses, with the football love of fans, Vietnamese football will continue to develop. We may not make it to the World Cup in the next 5 years, it may take 10 years or more, but that journey will continue, and every step will be a valuable lesson. I have written this article with all the respect for the people who are continuing to write the story of Vietnamese football - the players, the coaches, the fans, the administrators, the sports reporters, the volunteers, the stadium cleaners. They are all unnamed in history, but none of them are meaningless. Football is built from people like them, and the story of Vietnamese football will continue to be written by those very people. My notebook has been soaked with tears and sweat, has held thousands of pages of notes about moments that scorelines can never reflect. I will continue to take notes, not because of duty, but because I believe every moment on the pitch deserves to be remembered. And if one day a Vietnamese boy stands on the World Cup stage, I will open this notebook and find the tears that have fallen along the way - to remember that the journey began from the smallest tears, from poor children in remote villages, from stadium cleaners sweeping at 4 AM, from reporters writing in the rain, from coaches who devoted their lives to a dream they knew might never come true. Football is their story, it is our story, it is the story of those who dare to dream and dare to stand up after stumbling. On the way home tonight, when Hanoi is deep into the night and only the sound of wind blowing through roadside trees, I will stop at a cafe by West Lake, order a black coffee, and sit looking at the water reflecting the lights from tall buildings in the distance. I will think of the 12-year-old boy at My Dinh, of the 80-year-old man at Tan Son Nhat airport, of Dang Van Lam's tears when he sang the national anthem, of the failed passes I have recorded for many years. And I will tell myself that, although Vietnamese football still has a long journey ahead, today I still love it, still believe in it, and still ready to stand up with it after every stumble. That is what 69 years of life and 53 years of work have taught me: love is not victory, love is persistence.