Football

National head coach Mai Đức Chung (third from, left), director Nguyễn Thị Thắm (left) and national players attend the premiere of the documentary entitled Vietnam: Where Are You. Photos of organisers

HÀ NỘI — Director Nguyễn Thị Thắm has made a revealing documentary telling the national women's football team's untold stories, entitled Vietnam: Where Are You.

Through her lens, Thắm shows a love story of footballers over a long journey of nearly 30 years of coaches, players and the Việt Nam Football Federation (VFF) staff, as well as families and friends of players who began with nothing. Their journey was recorded clearly, authentically and emotionally, with every sacrifice, tear and drop of sweat respectfully captured, stored and recorded on film.

The documentary, which celebrated the women players' dedication and spirit across many generations, premiered on Vietnamese Women’s Day on October 20.

Over 78 minutes the film tells of the very early steps of the VFF to the building of female football teams. Coaches and scouts spent a huge amount of time to scouting for potential players, persuading reluctant parents to let their girls play football and training them how to play.

Thắm and her team also documented those early challenges and difficulties of the first early days, when the girls struggled not just with technique and fitness, but in overcoming social prejudice to be a footballer.

The film expresses the players' love, passion and their efforts working day to day to realise the nation's dream, the breaking of barriers and showing the courageous persistence of generations of athletes who have set a new standard for Vietnamese sports.

The poster for the documentary Vietnam: Where Are You.

Players including striker Huỳnh Như, midfielder Nguyễn Thị Bích Thùy and defender Chương Thị Kiều, former players and now coaches Lưu Ngọc Mai and Nguyễn Thị Kim Hồng and head coach Mai Đức Chung, have, for the first time, told their own personal stories.

Stories which include a difficult childhood, tough lives lived and the reality but a hopeful future career in the sport they love.

Việt Nam made their international debut and won bronze at the 19th SEA Games in 1997. After nearly three decades, they have set a record of eight SEA Games' trophies along with three regional championship titles and a fourth-place in the Asian Games.

They made history when earning a slot at the 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, the first ever time either a male or female football team of Việt Nam sang the national anthem on the global stage.

“This is the story of the Vietnamese women's football team, as a vibrant independent character with an inspirational path of development. They have broken all barriers and prejudices to take part in the supposed field-of-men for many years," said Thắm.

Vietnamese players and supporters at the BHD Cinema for watching Vietnam: Where Are You.

"They play football with all the qualities of women, being strong and brave in every arena. Their pure passion helps them to prove that women can do whatever men do."

Vietnam: Where Are You, produced by Vietcontent and Viewfinder, will be screened in 52 cinema clusters nationwide until the end of this month. VNS