Vietnamese players during the national anthem in the 2024 ASEAN Championship Final in Bangkok, Thailand. Vietnamese football ended a rollercoaster Year of the Dragon on a high note with a glorious 2024 ASEAN Cup campaign. VNA/VNS Photo Minh Quyết

Anh Đức

Vietnamese football ended a rollercoaster Year of the Dragon on a high note with a glorious 2024 ASEAN Cup campaign, despite starting the year dismally with the disappointing final days of Philippe Troussier.

For women's football, although it was an uneventful year for the national team, the Vietnamese women's futsal team still provided a highlight, as they won the inaugural AFF Women's Futsal Championship.

With Vietnamese club doing well in regional tournaments such as the AFC Champions League Two and the ASEAN Club Championship, everything seemed set up for a blasting Year of the Snake for the nation's football prospects.

In the zodiac, the Snake symbolises transformation, mystery and knowledge. It seemed fitting that Vietnamese football needs a new set of young and energetic players, with the ASEAN Cup victory already provided the breakthrough for players such as Bùi Vĩ Hào and Khuất Văn Khang.

This year, regional and continental youth tournaments will grant the opportunity to a plethora of up-and-coming talents, such as Thể Công's Nguyễn Công Phương and HAGL's Trần Gia Bảo, V.League's youngest ever goal scorer.

The first hurdle for young players would be the 2025 AFC U17 Asian Cup from April 3-20, as Việt Nam faces juggernauts Japan, Australia and the UAE right off the bat in Group A.

With the 2025 FIFA U17 World Cup expanded to 48 teams, should Việt Nam persevere through the giants, they would qualify for the U17 World Cup for the first time in history. The tournament is to be held in Qatar in November.

The year for youth football would then culminate in the 2025 SEA Games in Thailand from December, where only players under the age of 22 can participate.

For the senior side, Kim Sang-sik's men would try to qualify for the AFC Asian Cup for the third consecutive time, facing Malaysia, Laos and Nepal with only the first-placed team qualifying for the quadrennial continental championship at Saudi Arabia in 2027.

With Malaysian football ramping up efforts to naturalise players, the Tigers are considered Việt Nam's toughest opponent in the group.

The Golden Star Warriors will start the campaign with the match against Laos in Gò Đậu Stadium, Bình Dương on March 25.

The women's national team, on the other hand, will have a much busier year in 2025.

First up, the 2025 AFF Women's Championship in Indonesia from June would provide Mai Đức Chung's players with a chance to reclaim regional glory, after they were dethroned by the Philippines just three years ago.

After their victory, defending champions Philippines continued efforts in naturalisation, with a view to qualifying for the next Women's World Cup. Hosts Indonesia, after years of being in the lower tiers of ASEAN women's football, also ramped up naturalisations similar to their men's national team.

Along with traditional rivals Thailand and Myanmar, Việt Nam would face more hurdles should they want to reclaim their title as the Queen of ASEAN football.

At the end of December, Việt Nam would also have to defend their SEA Games gold medal, which they have won four consecutive times since 2017.

With an exciting year ahead, I wish that Vietnamese football can continue their glory ways from 2024 and persevere through obstacles just as they've done the year before. VNS