Will the second Park Hang-seo Kim Sang-sik strengthen? Punishment China and Vietnam issue a warning signal

Aug 12, 2025

Will the second Park Hang-seo Kim Sang-sik strengthen? Punishment China and Vietnam issue a warning signal
Photo =Vietnam Football Association



China seems to be afraid of Vietnam's rapid soccer development.

China's NetEase said on the 11th (Korea time) 'The Chinese national team has something to be wary of. Vietnam has introduced a new method to its naturalization strategy. Viettel FC, a Vietnamese league, recently recruited four new players, three of whom are Vietnamese prospects from Europe. The recruitment goes beyond simply strengthening the team's power, showing the possibility of changing the Vietnamese national team's naturalization strategy.

Viettel FC announced the recruitment of four players at once on the 8th. Three out of four were from Europe. First of all, Damian Boutang is a prospect born in 2003. He is a Polish player, but his father is Vietnamese, so he can also play for the Vietnamese national team. While playing for a Polish third-division club, he boldly challenged the Vietnamese stage.
Will the second Park Hang-seo Kim Sang-sik strengthen? Punishment China and Vietnam issue a warning signal
사진=비엣텔
Damian said "I've always wanted to play in Vietnam, and I've wanted to be with this club since the day I first stepped into the club. I'm very grateful to the club for giving me this opportunity" and talk about their desire to play in Vietnam?All.




Kyle Colona is a U.S. national, but he is a mixed-race player with Vietnamese blood. He grew up in the U.S. club San Diego and played for New Mexico United before entering the Vietnamese stage when he joined Hanoi FC in 2024.

Last Tan Tong Zheng is a veteran born in 1999. He is a dual citizen of the Czech Republic and Vietnam. After a career in the Czech third division, he challenged the Vietnamese league by moving to Vin Dean FC in 2024. As European or American players advance to the Vietnamese stage, China is wary.
Will the second Park Hang-seo Kim Sang-sik strengthen? Punishment China and Vietnam issue a warning signal
사진=비엣텔
NetEase says 'Vietnam has relied mainly on its youth system. However, as competition on the Asian stage intensifies, recruiting Vietnamese players who have grown up in Europe can quickly compensate for weaknesses in their physique and game tempo. This can have a positive effect on the World Cup Asian qualification and Asian Cup performance, he said, adding that Vietnam was also able to increase its power through the naturalization policy.

China is very afraid of the recent naturalization craze in Southeast Asia. Indonesia, where head coach Shin Tae-yong was, overcame competition with China and advanced to the fourth qualifying round in the North American World Cup Asian region in 2026. China was eliminated in the third qualifying round after losing to Indonesia.




NetEase 'This is also a warning sign for the Chinese national team. If China continues to stand still in improving its power, fewer and fewer teams will be classified as 'Asian Weaknesses' in the future. Vietnam is already showing a threatening performance in the World Cup qualifiers, and if naturalized players from European youth are added to this, the team's tactical performance and overall power will be stronger. At that time, even when China faced the Southeast Asian team, it became difficult to guarantee an 'unprecedented victory'
Will the second Park Hang-seo Kim Sang-sik strengthen? Punishment China and Vietnam issue a warning signal
Photo =Vietnam Football Association
China is more wary of Vietnam among Southeast Asia because Vietnam, which recently brought head coach Kim Sang-sik, is performing well. Both the national team and the under-23 national team won the best tournament in Southeast Asia. From China's point of view, they will not want Kim Sang-sik's Vietnam history to be strengthened by the addition of European players.



This article was translated by Naver AI translator.