V.League 2026 – The Depth Problem and Future Pieces for Vietnam National Team

The match between Cong An Ha Noi FC and Thep Xanh Nam Dinh FC in round 12 of V.League 2026 ended 3-2, but what caught my attention was not the goal scored at 90+3. It was the list of substitutes from the home team's bench. When Nam Dinh pressed in the second half, the head coach of Cong An Ha Noi could only send in two young players under 20 and a foreign midfielder just recovering from injury. The gap in quality between the starting lineup and the backup lineup was so clear that anyone who has followed Vietnamese football for the past ten years would have to ask: how many players have we truly developed who are ready for top-level football? That story is not unique to one club. V.League 2026 is entering the mid-season period with an unprecedentedly dense schedule. Besides domestic pressure, leading clubs such as Cong An Ha Noi, Thep Xanh Nam Dinh, and Ha Noi FC also compete in continental tournaments. Meanwhile, the national team is preparing for the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers. Core players such as Nguyen Quang Hai, Nguyen Tien Linh, and Do Hung Dung are all over 28. Football managers have begun to review the youth training system, but are they looking in the right place? V.League has long been known as a league where clubs rely on foreign players and established domestic stars. Statistics from last season show that under-23 players in the top groups only account for about 12% of total playing time. Meanwhile, lower-ranked clubs like Song Lam Nghe An and Quang Nam give more opportunities to young players, but the professional quality is not guaranteed due to a lack of mentors and modern coaching methods. That gap is widening. The problem lies in how Vietnamese clubs build their squads. Most teams have only about 25 players, including three foreign signings, one naturalized player, and a group of young players promoted to make up the numbers. When injuries or suspensions occur, coaches often have to push a player into an unfamiliar position or throw on young players who are not physically or mentally ready. This situation not only reduces the quality of the league but also directly affects the national team. I once watched a training session of the Vietnam U23 team in early 2026. Among the twenty-five players called up, fourteen had only played school football or lower-level clubs and had never played a single minute in V.League. They were enthusiastic, but their tactical reading, ability to handle pressure, and physical foundation were far behind international standards. When they returned to their clubs, coaches did not dare use them for fear of points being dropped, and so they sat on the bench. That vicious cycle has lasted for more than a decade. The story of Binh Duong FC this season is a clear example. With a modest budget, they surprisingly competed well in the top group by using four young players from their own academy, including a 19-year-old striker who has scored five goals. But by the tenth round, when the captain, first goalkeeper, and both central defenders were injured, the club had nobody qualified to replace them. They lost three consecutive games and fell into the middle of the table. Clearly, squad depth is not just about numbers; it is about the readiness of backup players within a cohesive system. Vietnamese football was once praised when the U23 team reached the Asian Championship final in 2026, when the national team beat Thailand, and when the youth teams achieved good results at the SEA Games. But that success relied heavily on the golden generation of Quang Hai, Cong Phuong, Van Hau, and Hung Dung. Nearly ten years later, that generation has passed its peak. Meanwhile, youth academies have yet to produce a truly deep successor group. Names like Nguyen Dinh Bac, Nguyen Thai Son, and Nguyen Van Truong are still only scattered sparks, not enough to form a deep collective. Many say the solution is to increase the number of foreign players or loosen youth development rules in transfer regulations. I think differently. The core issue is not the number of foreign slots, but the competition system and the process of moving players between levels. A country can develop youth football not only through training centers, but also through a truly competitive second division, well-run satellite clubs, and a culture that trusts young players. Look at models in top Asian football nations. Clubs in Japan and South Korea often have rosters of about thirty-five players, including eight to ten who train with the first team for six to eight months. They are sent on loan to lower-division clubs that share the same style and coaching philosophy, so when they return to their parent club, they can integrate immediately. Vietnamese football lacks such a bridge league. The First Division still exists, but its professional level, audience, and revenue are very low. Parent clubs often send young players there without tracking plans, without coaching exchange, and without a shared tactical language. As a result, young players develop haphazardly rather than following a deliberate path. I remember in 2026, when Ha Noi FC sent a group of young players to Portugal for a traineeship, and when Thep Xanh Nam Dinh sent staff to Japan to learn about training models. Those were good signals, but such activities are still rare. Most clubs still operate in the traditional way: relying on famous stars, while young players are only noticed in a crisis or under public pressure. This creates a culture that prizes immediate results, which kills the patience needed to develop a player for ten years of top-level football. Another aspect where depth directly impacts the national team is the role of Nguyen Quang Hai. Quang Hai is still one of Vietnam's most skilled players, but at 29, he no longer possesses the stamina to move constantly through a long league season. If the national team remains heavily dependent on Quang Hai without grooming a successor for the attacking-midfield position, then when he is injured or loses form, there will be no Plan B. Young players like Nguyen Van Truong, Nguyen Thai Son, and Phan Tuan Tai all have potential, but they need to play consistently for at least two seasons in V.League, in different roles, not merely coming on when the team is winning comfortably. Modern football has proven that a deep squad is not only one with good substitutes, but also one with players who can fill multiple positions, a philosophy applied consistently from youth to senior level, and a coaching team that understands player development. V.League currently does not meet those criteria. We have good coaches who understand the game, but too few of them have enough time and power to build a system. Because of pressure for results, they are sacked after a poor run. Each time a coach changes, the club changes its entire philosophy, and young players suffer the most because they must start again from zero. I once spoke with a veteran scout in Vietnamese football. He said something that made me think for a long time: “We always look for talented players to put into youth academies, but then we teach them in the old way, and by the time they reach the first team, they have lost their natural instincts. If we do not change the methods, Vietnamese football will forever have talents but never finished products.” That statement reflects the current reality. We have young players who are tall, fast, and skilled, but when they step into the harsh V.League environment, where survival and championships are at stake, they quickly struggle against physically strong foreign players. If coaches merely ask them to run more and fight harder, without teaching them game reading, smart positioning, or small-group coordination, they will never reach international level. So how should a V.League club build squad depth? I believe it starts with clarifying the role of the youth team. Each club should have at least one B team or satellite team playing in the First Division, with the same coaching philosophy and the same system of data on fitness, nutrition, and tactics. Young players who finish their U21 training should be promoted to the first team for training a few times a week, but still play competitive matches for the B team to keep rhythm. When the first team needs players, they can be called up at any time without confusion. To do this, clubs must invest in youth coaches, data analysts, and sports doctors – a financial problem that not every club can solve immediately. Currently, the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) and V.League have regulations on the use of young players, but enforcement is not rigorous. Many teams only include U23 players in the registration list to meet the minimum quota, not to give them real playing time. I think legislators should look at the South Korean league model, where teams lose points if they fail to use players under 23 for a certain number of minutes per season. That rule would be controversial, but it would force coaches to balance results and player development. Of course, for it to work, players must be protected by a good educational foundation and a clean football environment so they do not fall into bad habits. The problem of depth in V.League cannot be solved overnight. But I believe that if clubs, VFF, and the media sit down together instead of blaming each other, we can build a long-term roadmap. Vietnam's current young generation may not be as outstanding as the generation of Quang Hai and Cong Phuong, but they have more access to modern football: internet, video analysis, and overseas scholarships. What they need most is a demanding, patient, and synchronized development system. The match between Cong An Ha Noi and Nam Dinh ended with a home victory, but I could not be fully happy. I looked at the stands, where thousands of fans were cheering, and I remembered the young players on the bench with eager eyes. They have talent and desire, but they are still waiting for a real opportunity from the system. The biggest question is not whether we will find a second "Quang Hai," but whether we can create an environment for a new generation of players to grow up together. To answer that, Vietnamese football must look within itself, not at temporary fixes.