Vietnam women’s soccer team roster: players, profiles, stars

As part of a collaboration with the Guardian and other leading newspapers from the each of the World Cup’s participating nations, we bring you an in-depth guide to the Vietnam squad for the upcoming tournament.

Written by Minh Chien Tu for Zing

Goalkeepers:

Tran Thi Kim Thanh

18/09/1993

Ho Chi Minh City FC

Goalkeeper

Kim Thanh is only 1.65m tall. She has to jump nearly 1m high to reach the crossbar, but her short stature did not stop her from becoming the goalkeeper with the most saves in the 2022 Women’s Asian Cup. “Don’t let your parents down,” is what Kim Thanh has been telling herself throughout her career. One of three children, with her father being a bricklayer and her mother taking odd jobs, Kim Thanh’s dad didn’t let her pursue a career in football to begin with, because he was more concerned about how he would make enough money to send all of his three kids to school. But her talent shone through regardless and now Kim Thanh is at a World Cup.

Khong Thi Hang

10/10/1993

Than Khoang San Viet Nam Women’s Football Club

Goalkeeper

Before becoming the national team’s second goalkeeper, Khong Thi Hang used to be an excellent long jumper and even won a silver medal at a national tournament. During high school, she stood out as a volleyball star in Vinh Phuc province. “She was only in 10th grade but she had the cool demeanour of an adult,” was how Hang’s former teacher described her. Hang joined the first team at her club aged 18 and only needed a year to be selected for the national team.

Dao Thi Kieu Oanh

25/01/2003

Ha Noi FC

Goalkeeper

In the Vietnam women’s team, there exists a strange tradition regarding the magical letter K. The team’s goalkeepers up until now have always had a K in their names, such as Nguyen Thi Kim Hong, Dang Thi Kieu Trinh or Tran Thi Kim Thanh. And that’s why many people have high expectations for Dao Thi Kieu Oanh. She is currently the first-choice goalkeeper of Ha Noi FC, the second strongest team in Vietnam and appears to be another talented goalkeeper to look out for.

Defenders:

Chuong Thi Kieu

19/05/1995

Ho Chi Minh City FC

Defender

In August 2022, Chuong Thi Kieu underwent the surgery of a lifetime, which was exceedingly rare perhaps even in the history of world football. The surgery was performed on both knees to repair ACL injuries at the same time, and took 15 hours. The leader in Vietnam’s defence has since needed another nine months to recover but has been deemed fit to play at the World Cup. She sustained these injuries at the 2019 Southeast Asian Games but could only undergo surgery in 2022. If it wasn’t for the operation, she would have had to retire.

Tran Thi Thu Thao

15/01/1993

Ho Chi Minh City FC

Defender

Thu Thao’s situation is rare given that her sister also plays for the national team. And what’s even more special is that she is her twin. However, since Phuong Thao is not at the tournament, Thu Thao says she will go to the Women’s World Cup “on behalf of her family”. Thu Thao is a versatile player and has been deployed in various positions, including as a midfielder and defender and is expected to be a very useful utility player for Vietnam.

Tran Thi Thu

15/01/1991

Ho Chi Minh City FC

Defender

Thi Thu was given the affectionate nickname “Silent Hero” by the fans. At the age of 32, at a time when many of her former teammates have retired, Thu still silently contributes to the national team as a regular substitute. On eve of the 2023 World Cup she says the “Vietnam women’s team will be able to play against strong opponents so that we can constantly improve – even during matches against World Cup powerhouses”.

Hoang Thi Loan

06/02/1995

Ha Noi FC

Defender

Loan was the first real star in the history of Vietnamese women’s football. She was a trailblazing female player who became as popular as the male players. She has more than 250,000 followers on Facebook and triple that number on TikTok. She can be found on advertising hoardings, promoting various brands, thus creating a new path for female players who can see a way to bridge the financial gap that exists between them and their male counterparts. She was one of three national team players to appear on the cover of fashion magazine Dep under the heading “Wonder Women”. A talented full-back she loves to race up the left wing.

Tran Thi Hai Linh

08/06/2001

Ha Noi FC

Defender

Born in 2001, she is the youngest defender to be selected for the World Cup by the experienced coach, Mai Duc Chung. She can play as a central defender or in midfield but she is being trained to play at the back, thanks to her calm demeanour, ball control skills and canny match-reading ability. At the age of 22, Hai Linh has a lot of time to grow and is sure to soon play a more important role in the team. She says: “When I joined the national team, I found myself up against bigger and stronger opponents … especially in physical situations when shoulders collide with each other. I’m trying harder, building more muscles, using more supplements.”

Le Thi Diem My

23/08/1996

Than Khoang San Viet Nam Women’s Football Club

Defender

Many teams would love to have a two-footed centre-back and Diem My is one of those rare and precious players. It is why she has been selected in the squad for a number of years now. She has not had as many opportunities to start as she would have liked, with established stars such as Chuong Thi Kieu and Tran Thi Hong Nhung ahead of her. She is, however, a very useful option off the bench, thanks to her ability to play on the left or right and her simple, effective playing style. She also has impressive stamina.

Luong Thi Thu Thuong

01/05/2000

Than Khoang San Viet Nam Women’s Football Club

Defender

“My biggest regret taking this path is not being able to be with and take care of my family,” the 23-year-old says. Unlike in Europe, young female footballers are taken away to more isolated training centres and Thu Thuong admits to having found this hard. They are away from their families from primary school age. There they will study, live and train in a secluded environment. At 10 years old, Thu Thuong only got to see her family a few weeks per year. The situation, however, helped this quiet girl develop her mental strength and bravery.

Nguyen Thị My Anh

27/11/1994

Thai Nguyen FC

Defender

In Vietnam, player transfers between clubs is a rarity, as football is governed as a “state agency”. Therefore, My Anh’s case in 2022 was a very special one in which she and Ho Chi Minh City FC took each other to court because of her contract. My Anh won and was transferred to Thai Nguyen Football Club, receiving a higher salary and other payments. More importantly, My Anh has changed Vietnam’s female player transfer market, and her deal is reminiscent of Jean-Marc Bosman’s in Europe.

Tran Thi Thuy Nga

02/11/1994

Thai Nguyen FC

Defender

In the 32nd South East Asian Games final Thuy Nga had to leave the field because of an injury. Her teammates went on to beat Myanmar 2-0, and later as they celebrated winning gold, Thuy Nga came out to join them, limping around in pain. Nobody was able to find any crutches, so they had to take it in turns to help Thuy Nga gingerly move from the tunnel to the podium. Despite everything, Thuy Nga still smiled, showing her resilience on a famous day. She is the symbol of what Vietnam’s women’s team want to bring to the World Cup in New Zealand and Australia: a sense of an absolute never-giving-up attitude.

Midfielders:

Nguyen Thị Tuyet Dung

13/12/1993

Phong Phu Ha Nam

Midfielder

Has any international superstar ever scored twice from a corner and with two different feet in the same match? Well, that’s what Tuyet Dung did against Malaysia at the 2015 South East Asian Games. Those two-footed deliveries are what Tuyet Dung has repeated over and over again throughout her career, making her famous over the years. “If you’re right-footed, you practise shooting with the right foot 10 times but 20 times with the left foot,” she says, explaining the training philosophy that has made her extraordinary. She joins Huynh Nhu as one of Vietnam’s two great hopes as they march on to the World Cup stage for the first time ever.

Nguyen Thi Bich Thuy

01/05/1994

Ho Chi Minh City FC

Midfielder

Bich Thuy has been a bit unlucky when it comes to big tournaments. She was 28 when she finally competed in her first major competition, the Asian Cup, but she almost missed out when she was among 14 Vietnamese female players infected with Covid-19 right before the tournament started in January. She earned her first appearance only in the third match, against Myanmar. Since then, Thuy has played regularly and shone brightly. She was the player who scored the decisive goal against Taiwan in the last play-off, taking Vietnam to the World Cup, a strike she called “the most memorable of my entire career”.

Tran Thiị Thuy Trang

08/08/1988

Ho Chi Minh City FC

Midfielder

Not many people know that Thuy Trang was first called up to the Vietnam national team for … futsal. In fact the midfielder born in the 1980s began to pursue a football career only after she graduated from university. But that slow start could not stop Thuy Trang from quickly earning herself a place in the starting lineup of the national football team. “Trang is often called ‘Miss Buzz’ because of her fierce and annoying playing style in which she keeps getting up and clinging to her opponent even after being knocked down,” says Mai Ba Hung, the former Deputy Director of Ho Chi Minh City department of culture and sports.

Ngan Thi Van Su

29/04/2001

Ha Noi FC

Midfielder

“That’s my sister,” Ngan Van Dai laughed out loud when asked about Van Su, his younger friend who shares the same Thai roots as him. They both come from an ethnic minority, both from Thanh Hoa, both played for Ha Noi FC and are members of Vietnam’s national teams, one in the men’s team and the other in the women’s. Van Su is young but she’s not unexperienced as she won Vietnam’s best young player in 2020. “Youthful but steady, aggressive but still smart, and most importantly, she will never stop learning,” is how Vietnam’s Under-19 coach, Ijiri Akira, described her.

Nguyen Thi Thanh Nha

25/09/2001

Ha Noi FC

Midfielder

In the countryside of Thuong Tin (formerly known as Ha Tay), there lived a man named Duong Khac Kiem. He was not a trained coach and his training sessions did not take place at a football centre, either. He had no funds, very few facilities and no one paid him for what he did. He was just an ordinary farmer with a burning passion for football, so he wandered to every corner of the countryside to scout players to make a team. And in that humble football upbringing so many future stars have been nurtured, among them Thanh Nha, who is also becoming somewhat of a social media star in Vietnam.

Thai Thi Thao

12/02/1995

Ha Noi FC

Midfielder

As the player who provided the assist for Bich Thuy to score the decisive goal to take Vietnam to the World Cup, Thai Thi Thao is now the team’s playmaker and midfield star. But there was a time when she had difficulty integrating because she was born in Nghe An, where people speak with a distinctive local accent. Early in her career, away from her family, teammates struggled to understand what Thao said. She used to get so homesick she would cry and feel sad that there was no one to confide in. She couldn’t even tell her parents about her injuries. All of these experiences have forged the strong player we see today.

Duong Thi Van

20/09/1994

Than Khoang San Viet Nam Women’s Football Club

Midfielder

Try asking Thailand players who they are most afraid of and it’s highly likely most will say the name: Duong Thi Van. In the opening match of the 2019 South East Asian Games, she scored to earn a 1-1 draw with Thailand. In the 31st SEA Games final, she continued to torment Thailand players as she won back possession and then set up Huynh Nhu to score the only goal of the match. “She’s small but can run tirelessly, everything on the field goes through Van’s feet,” said the former player Do Thi Ngoc Cham. The journalist Nguyen Nguyen said: “Many people think Huynh Nhu is the best in Vietnam’s women’s team but in that final it was Duong Thi Van who excelled the most.”

Forwards:

Pham Hai Yen

09/11/1994

Ha Noi FC

Striker

To achieve glory, sometimes you have to sacrifice your personal life. In March 2022, Hai Yen posted a picture on Facebook in which she was radiantly receiving her university degree, which she had earned six months prior but had no time to collect. In that half-year, Hai Yen shone brightly for Vietnam, scoring eight goals in the 2022 Asian Cup qualifiers. In the course of two years she had been voted the nation’s second-best player twice, winning two Silver Balls. The highlight in Hai Yen’s career came in the 2019 SEA Games final where she scored the only goal of the match as Vietnam saw off Thailand to win the title.

Vu Thi Hoa

06/11/2003

Ha Noi FC

Striker

There was widespread shock when Vu Thi Hoa became the V.League’s top scorer in 2022. Hoa started the season as an unknown 19-year-old but went on to score eight goals. Those goals earned her an entry ticket into the national team set-up, where she soon earned a regular place in the squad, mainly operating from the bench. She was also named Vietnam’s best young player. The national team coach, Mai Duc Chung, has high hopes for the striker. “Hoa is sure to follow in Huynh Nhu and Hai Yen’s footsteps,” he said.

Nguyen Thi Thuy Hang

19/11/1997

Than Khoang San Viet Nam Women’s Football Club

Striker

In a team full of technical attacking players, Thuy Hang stands out as a completely different type of forward. She is incredibly strong and superb in one-v-one duels. But although Thuy Hang has played very well at club level, she is yet to repeat this form on the international stage. Critics have said she needs to work on her mobility and decision-making if she is to fulfil her rich potential.

Huynh Nhu

28/11/1991

Ho Chi Minh City FC

Striker

Despite having won countless titles with the national team, Huynh Nhu is most famous for being the first Vietnamese female player to play in Europe (Portugal). She is also the most successful Vietnamese player abroad in history while dozens of her male colleagues have failed to prove themselves in both Asia and Europe. In her first season for Länk FC, she scored seven goals, creating a stir not only because of her football but with her traditional Vietnamese dress, Ao Dai, and the Vietnamese food that she shared with her teammates. How refreshing that a nation’s football trailblazer in Europe is a woman instead of a man.

Not in squad:

Đoàn Thị Ngọc Phượng

01/02/1998

Ho Chi Minh City FC

Goalkeeper

Ngoc Phuong has never been considered a candidate for the team’s official goalkeeper position. The only time her name was heard is because of the mistake she made in the 2017 Asian U19 Championship where she “innocently” rushed out to catch the ball outside the penalty area. The opposing team was awarded a free kick, and Korea decided to go for a quick free kick, so Ngoc Phuong luckily didn’t receive a yellow card. At the age of 25, Ngoc Phuong will probably be satisfied if she is on the team list for the World Cup campaign.

Trần Nguyễn Bảo Châu

24/03/1991

Ho Chi Minh City FC

Midfielder

Called up for the first time in 2014, 9 years in the national team, Bao Chau has never been in the starting lineup, then and even now. She has always had to compete with Vietnam’s top midfielders, previously her senior Doan Thi Kim Chi and then Tran Thi Thuy Trang. The standout success in Bao Chau’s career is her 8 national championships, including 4 consecutive titles from 2019 up to now.

Nguyễn Thị Trúc Hương

04/03/2000

Than Khoáng Sản Việt Nam Women’s Football Club

Tiền vệ

It is still too early for Truc Huong to be in the starting lineup, but a place in the national team is something the 23-year-old girl has secured regularly. Truc Huong has the typical skills and intelligence of players originated from Vinacomin Youth Academy. However, the team’s midfield is currently stack with stars. Truc Huong has shined in the U19 team and in some friendly matches. But her time probably has yet to come. “There’s still several shortcomings in my tactical - technical skills. I still have a lot more to grow and to learn from my seniors,” Huong once said.

Nguyễn Thị Tuyết Ngân

10/2/2000

Ho Chi Minh City FC

Striker

The path to football is a very long one, especially for girls. Just ask Tuyet Ngan, who used to stand on the sidelines covetously watching boys play ball and be their ball girl just so in return she could kick the ball for once into the field. That perseverance helped Tuyet Ngan to catch a young coach’s eye and earn herself an chance. And the rest is history. Tuyet Ngan couldn’t shine more brilliantly and became Vietnam U19 team captain, was summoned to the national team when she was 17 and now at the age of 23, she is a future star with great potential. “Football has changed my daughter’s life, and my family’s life. I bought a new TV with the money she sent back and I have never missed a single match of the team all these years,” Tuyet Ngan’s mother recounted.