Ho Chi Minh City Football: When Will We Return to the Glory Days?

For many years, since the 2003 SEA Games (with players Hữu Thắng and Tuấn Phong) and the 2004 Tiger Cup (where veteran Lê Huỳnh Đức sealed the deal) up to today (when the national team and U23 Vietnam are training simultaneously), searching tirelessly has yielded no national team players or even any U23 players who grew up from the training and competition system of Ho Chi Minh City football. It is more than just a professional pain, but it seems... we've gotten used to it.

To kick off the strategy for developing youth football in Ho Chi Minh City for the 2026-2030 period, recently (March 18), the Ho Chi Minh City Football Federation (HFF) once again organized an (internal) Workshop between the Ho Chi Minh City Police Club and some Youth Training Centers in the city.

According to the announcement, "This is considered the initial step of a long-term strategy to build a system of key Football Centers, aiming to develop a high-quality pool of young players."

"The program focuses on selecting and training players aged 9–13, the 'golden' age for forming technical foundations and football thinking. The goal is not only to develop the movement, but also to create a solid succession source for the youth teams of the Ho Chi Minh City Police Club in the future," as quoted from the announcement.

For a long time spanning decades, Ho Chi Minh City football was almost in a 'Winter hibernation,' and only when the Ho Chi Minh City Police Club reappeared (replacing its predecessor, Ho Chi Minh City Club), people suddenly noticed many Workshops and cooperation programs being organized like this. Ho Chi Minh City football actually isn't just represented by the professional Ho Chi Minh City Police Club; there are also Becamex Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh City Club (formerly BR-VT), Van Hien University Ho Chi Minh City, and Ho Chi Minh City Youth Club!

However, it's not hard to see that the recent Workshops seem insufficient to completely resolve the root causes of the issues accumulated over decades. These meetings and exchanges appear to be internal affairs, with selected guests (individuals and some Centers) and not widely publicized in the media.

"Comprehensive standardization, with a plan aimed at building a professional training ecosystem: unified coaching curricula, clear professional criteria, qualified coaching staff, upgraded facilities... to gradually elevate youth football training in Ho Chi Minh City towards modernity and sustainability," that is the main content of this Workshop.

"Parallel to training is promoting socialization, expanding the network of centers, and regularly organizing talent competitions. This is precisely the 'playground' where young talents can compete, showcase, and prove themselves. This is not just a plan, but the foundation for the future of Ho Chi Minh City football, where dreams on the pitch are nurtured from today," concluded the Workshop's action program.

Readers and listeners of these draft presentations seem very pleased with the plans, from macro to detailed and meticulous. However, the feasibility of these outlined plans remains a question. It's not merely a matter of mechanisms, but of people. Most recently, HFF missed the opportunity to host the 2026 National U9 Finals due to... funding issues. The group stage qualifiers and the 2026 National U15 Finals were pushed to Thành Long Center, which has been severely degraded for over 15 years... These matters, we know they're troublesome but keep talking about them.

When will Ho Chi Minh City football return to its former glory? Perhaps a comprehensive overhaul of the current approach, including such Workshops, is needed for any hope of success! As the ancients said, "Bitter medicine cures disease, truth hurts feelings" – that's exactly it!