VFF directly states the reason for not using foreign coaches for the Vietnam national team

The Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) continues to choose a domestic coach by appointing Hoàng Văn Phúc to lead the Vietnam women's national team, instead of a foreign coach as many rumors suggested.

The Vietnam women's national team has officially appointed Coach Hoàng Văn Phúc to the head coach position, instead of selecting a foreign strategist as many previous rumors indicated. This decision further demonstrates the consistent direction of the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) in prioritizing the use of domestic coaches for women's football.

According to the plan, Coach Hoàng Văn Phúc will lead the Vietnam women's national team for a term of 1.5 years, from May 2026 to the end of September 2027. During this period, he will undertake important objectives such as ASIAD 20, AFF Cup 2027, and SEA Games 34 – pivotal tournaments for the team's transition process.

Explaining the difference in coach selection between the men's and women's national teams, VFF Vice President Trần Anh Tú stated: "For the men's national team, a domestic coach would face immense pressure when taking charge, including pressure from the media and fans. Therefore, having a foreign coach in charge is more reasonable, even though Vietnamese football is not lacking in high-quality domestic coaches."

He also emphasized the specific characteristics of Vietnamese women's football: "For the women's national team, foreign coaches are also good, but domestic coaches are more suitable. Foreign coaches may excel in expertise, but the women's team needs someone who has time to train and live here to understand Vietnamese women's football. Understanding women's football and Vietnamese female players is crucial, so we choose a domestic coach."

In reality, throughout nearly three decades of development, the Vietnam women's national team has mainly achieved success under the guidance of domestic coaches, notably Mai Đức Chung. Conversely, Vietnamese men's football has achieved many milestones under foreign coaches like Park Hang-seo or Kim Sang Sik, creating a clear difference in personnel direction between the two national teams.

Additionally, VFF leadership also acknowledged the difficulties in using domestic coaches for the men's national team: "Foreign coaches can more easily overcome this pressure issue. I believe domestic coaches' capabilities are not inferior to foreign ones. VFF always strives to find domestic coaches, but having them meet the requirements is not easy. Media pressure sometimes also poses challenges for domestic coaches. Foreign coaches may experience failures but also successes, and in fact, there have been many good achievements. Foreign coaches working with women's football need a long time to understand the situation; they would be more comfortable when taking over a national team. It is truly difficult to compare men's and women's football."

In that context, the appointment of Coach Hoàng Văn Phúc is not merely a personnel choice but also reflects VFF's long-term strategy. With extensive experience and deep understanding of domestic football, he is expected to continue leveraging the strengths of the women's team, while gradually rejuvenating the squad and aiming for major future goals.