* As the President of Quy Nhon United FC, you have now been honored with a position on the coaching staff of the Vietnam U23 national team. In your view, are these two roles related?
- In fact, I see these as two complementary roles rather than separate ones. From a club management perspective, I have the opportunity to view football more holistically: from organization, personnel, and training systems to operational effectiveness. This helps me, when working in a technical capacity, to better understand the context, real conditions, and pressures faced by both players and the coaching staff.
Conversely, when entrusted by the Vietnam Football Federation to join the U23 coaching staff, I return to the pure coaching role: focusing on the players, tactics, each training session, and every small detail on the pitch. Coaching keeps me in touch with the realities of top-level football, ensuring that my management work never strays from the technical side.
I believe the most important thing is to be fully aware of the responsibilities of each position, to play the right role at the right time. When the common interests of Vietnamese football are put above all else, whether as a leader or a coach, one can always contribute positively and effectively.
* Being away from your club for an extended period to serve the national U23 team, have you faced any difficulties?
- First of all, I am deeply grateful to the leadership of Quy Nhon United FC for always creating favorable conditions for me to attend professional training courses and to fulfill national duties with the Vietnam U23 team.
For me, attending coaching courses is not just about earning higher qualifications, but more importantly, about continuously updating my mindset, methods, and working standards in line with modern international football. This knowledge allows me to approach football more scientifically and systematically, and to apply these insights back to the club and youth development work.
Serving with the Vietnam U23 team is not only a personal honor but also a great responsibility. The trust of the Federation and the support from the club’s leadership motivate me to always remember that every technical decision I make must serve the common interests of the team and the long-term development of Vietnamese football, both nationally and locally. This is also the guiding principle of Quy Nhon United’s leadership.
I see this as a continuous learning journey, where every experience with the national team helps me grow, both as a coach and as a manager.
* The Vietnam U23 team is made up mostly of young players, and Quy Nhon United also has many players in the U21 or U23 age group. Do you have a strategy to help your club’s young players be considered for future national team selection?
- I believe the common ground between the current Vietnam U23 team and Quy Nhon United is that both have a promising pool of young players, especially in the U21-U22 age bracket. This presents both opportunities and challenges.
My approach is to provide young players with a clear development pathway, not just the goal of “being called up to the national team.” They need to be trained in real match environments, given opportunities to play, placed in specific tactical scenarios, and evaluated transparently at each stage.
At the club level, we focus on standardizing everything from training curricula, fitness, tactical thinking, to discipline, so that when young players move up to higher levels, they are not caught off guard. When working with the national team, I also view players with a long-term perspective: not just for a single tournament, but for sustainable development to serve the national teams for many years to come.
I am confident that if young players are guided along the right path, placed in a suitable system, and developed patiently, it is entirely feasible for more faces from Quy Nhon United or other clubs to join the national teams in the future.
* Thank you. Wishing you continued success with the Vietnam U23 team and Quy Nhon United FC.