Vietnam, #1 in Southeast Asia for Homegrown Football Development!
From ASEAN Championship 2024 to ASEAN U23 Championship 2025, Vietnam keeps dominating the region.
One thing is becoming increasingly clear: Vietnam stands as a true example of a nation with the strongest local football system and grassroots development in Southeast Asia. Without relying heavily on naturalized or diaspora players, they’ve consistently remained strong, even dominant at the regional level.
But the next challenge awaits…
At Asian level, Vietnam is still struggling to qualify for the AFC Asian Cup 2027, especially after their recent defeat to
Malaysia. Meanwhile, the U23 squad still needs to prove themselves in the upcoming AFC U23 Asian Cup Qualifiers this September.
Globally, modern football trends show more and more nations including in Southeast Asia actively recruiting players from their diaspora across Europe and beyond. Nations like
Indonesia,
Malaysia,
the Philippines, and even
Timor-Leste,
Laos,
Cambodia,
Singapore, and
Thailand are now tapping into their heritage players.
With Vietnam officially revising its naturalization policy this past July, could this be the beginning of them opening up to this global trend?
Vietnam has already led the way with local talent. But is the next step letting their heritage players join the journey?
We’ll be watching.
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16:30) Thailand (W) 
A brilliant achievement from the Vietnamese student delegation at AIMO Final 2025 in Tokyo:
1 CHAMPION
10 Gold Honors
7 Silver Honors
5 Bronze Honors
Costa Rica
