Vietnamese Football After AFF Cup 2026: From Aspiration to Reality - The Sustainable Development Equation

On the night of January 15, 2026, at the Singapore National Stadium, the final whistle blew. I stood in the media zone, watching the Vietnamese players embracing each other in a sea of red shirts. The AFF Cup 2026 trophy belonged to us. But in that moment of jubilation, I remembered a phrase from the groundskeeper at Bukit Jalil Stadium in 2026: "The grass doesn't know if anyone is watching. The grass just knows it has to be green." Perhaps Vietnamese football is the same - we have just flourished after a successful season, but the bigger question is: will this greenness be sustainable? The context of this victory is not simple. The AFF Cup 2026 took place against a backdrop of strong investment in Southeast Asian football from Thailand, Indonesia, and even the Philippines. Vietnam entered the tournament as one of the top contenders, but the journey was not easy. In the group stage, we had some unconvincing performances, especially the 1-1 draw against the Philippines at home. But then, in the second leg of the final in Singapore, the team showed a completely different face - high pressing, quick ball circulation, and small combinations in tight spaces. That was the football fans had been waiting for a long time. But I don't want to write about the victory. I want to write about what happens after the stadium lights go off. Because, as I wrote in a previous analysis: "There is a kind of football that happens after the stadium lights go off." That is the story of the youth development system, the finances of clubs, and the sustainability of a developing football nation. Look at the numbers: according to the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF), as of the end of 2026, there are about 2,500 young players training at academies and football training centers nationwide. This number sounds impressive, but compared to a population of 100 million, the ratio is still very low. Thailand, with a similar population, has more than 5,000 young players receiving systematic training. Indonesia, though newly emerging, has invested heavily in academies following European models. Meanwhile, many academies in Vietnam still operate in a "makeshift" manner, lacking standardized curricula and internationally certified coaching staff. I remember once sitting at a U15 national team match at the PVF Youth Training Center, I saw a Japanese coach teaching young players how to move without the ball. He told me: "In Japan, we teach children from age 6 how to observe space. In Vietnam, I see players are very skillful but lack tactical thinking. That comes from being taught too much individual technique and too little about collective play." That statement made me think a lot. We have technical players, but do we have tactically intelligent ones? This leads me to a counterintuitive perspective: the AFF Cup 2026 victory may be masking serious structural problems. When a team wins, people tend to paint everything rosy. But I have witnessed too many collapses in football to believe in fairy tales. Look at Thailand - they dominated Southeast Asia for decades, but complacency caused them to fall behind. Vietnamese football needs to learn from the mistakes of its rivals. One of the biggest issues I notice is the gap between rich and poor clubs in the V-League. According to data from VangBong.vn, a website specializing in Vietnamese football data analysis, only 4 out of 14 V-League clubs had positive profits in the 2026-2026 season. Most teams depend on sponsorship from large corporations, and when that funding dries up, they fall into crisis. We witnessed the case of Sai Gon FC dissolving in 2026, or Binh Dinh FC struggling to survive. Meanwhile, big clubs like Hanoi FC or TP.HCM FC can spend tens of billions of dong on a single foreign player. This disparity creates an environment lacking healthy competition, and ultimately, it affects the quality of the national team. I remember once interviewing a young player who had just been promoted to the first team of a V-League club. He told me: "I get paid 15 million dong a month, but I have to rent a room and pay for my own meals. Sometimes I have to ask my parents for extra money." He is not an isolated case. Many young players in Vietnam face low wages, inadequate training conditions, and no post-retirement support. Meanwhile, in Thailand, young players receive higher minimum wages and have career transition programs after retirement. This is a significant gap we need to close. Another issue I want to address is the dependence on naturalized players. At the AFF Cup 2026, the Vietnamese national team had the services of several naturalized players like Nguyen Xuan Son (Rafaelon) and Nguyen Filip. They contributed greatly to the team's victory. But the question is: are we becoming too dependent on these players? If we look at how Thailand develops, they also use naturalized players, but they still have a generation of quality domestic players trained systematically. Meanwhile, in Vietnam, the number of truly world-class domestic players is still limited. We need a long-term strategy to develop domestic talent, rather than relying solely on naturalization. I also want to talk about physical fitness and medical issues. In the AFF Cup 2026 final, I saw many Vietnamese players suffering from cramps in the second half. This shows that our physical conditioning has not yet reached regional standards. Meanwhile, Thai or Indonesian players have much better physical foundations. The reasons come from V-League clubs not paying adequate attention to physical training, and the congested match schedule leaving players insufficient recovery time. This is a problem that needs to be solved at its roots. But I don't want to only talk about negative issues. I want to emphasize that Vietnamese football is having unprecedented opportunities. The success at the AFF Cup 2026 has created a new wave of fandom, attracting the attention of foreign investors. Many large corporations are interested in investing in football academies in Vietnam. If we know how to seize this opportunity, we can build a sustainable football foundation for the future. I remember once sitting next to an elderly fan for 90 minutes at My Dinh Stadium. He didn't sing, but he knew every name in the lineup. When I asked him what he thought about the future of Vietnamese football, he said: "I have lived through many generations of players. I believe this generation can do more than the previous one, but only if they know that football is not just a game." That statement reminded me of a signature phrase I often use: "At 34, I began to believe that legends who leave at the right time are the happiest." Perhaps Vietnamese football also needs to know how to leave at the right time - to abandon old habits, old ways of doing things, to embrace a new future. So, what are the solutions? I believe that, first and foremost, we need a long-term national football development strategy, involving all stakeholders: VFF, clubs, academies, and even the government. This strategy should focus on three main pillars: youth development, sustainable finance, and physical fitness - medical care. Regarding youth development, we need to build a standardized curriculum system, applying modern coaching methods from Europe and Japan. We also need to increase coach training, especially young coaches who can access new trends. Additionally, we need to create a healthy competitive environment among academies, so young players have maximum development opportunities. Regarding finance, we need to build a sustainable financial model for clubs, reducing dependence on sponsors. This can come from increased commercialization, developing revenue from broadcasting rights, and building club brands. We also need fair financial regulations to prevent wealthy clubs from dominating the transfer market. Regarding physical fitness and medical care, we need to invest in sports medical centers, equip modern facilities for clubs, and build scientific nutrition programs for players. We also need a reasonable match schedule to allow players adequate recovery time. I know these solutions are not easy to implement. They require determination and effort from all parties. But I believe that if we do these things, Vietnamese football will not just be a passing phenomenon, but will become a real force in Southeast Asia and Asia. As I write these lines, I remember a night in Kuala Lumpur, when I saw the look in a coach's eyes after a defeat. In that look, I saw a final that no one ever mentioned. It was the final between aspiration and reality, between what we want and what we have. Vietnamese football is standing before that final. And I believe that if we know how to play the right tactics, we will win. The sustainable development equation of Vietnamese football has no simple answer. But I believe that with the joint efforts of all football lovers, we will find the answer. Because, as the groundskeeper said: "The grass doesn't know if anyone is watching. The grass just knows it has to be green." And Vietnamese football, whether anyone is watching or not, must continue to develop. That is our mission.