Former Việt Nam national team fitness coach Bae Ji-won (Left) believes that Vietnamese football is improving day by day and receiving great attention from other countries. Photo zingnews.vn

HÀ NỘI — Vietnamese football is improving day by day and attracting great attention from other countries, according to former Việt Nam national team fitness coach Bae Ji-won.

The South Korean made the statement based on the movement of Vietnamese players to play football in other countries as goalkeeper Đặng Văn Lâm joining Cerezo Osaka in Japan earlier this year.

In addition, in July, midfielder Cao Văn Triền of Sài Gòn FC and striker Trần Danh Trung of Viettel will move to Japanese side Ryukyu FC in the J2 League on loan.

“Vietnamese football is now very attractive in international’s eyes,” Bae told thethao247.vn.

“In the development of professional football, integration is a must and Vietnamese football is doing great.

“From the fact that Vietnamese players have opportunities to play in other countries and there’re big clubs in the world that want to work with Vietnamese football clubs for youth academies to train young potential players, the Vietnamese football background and basics are getting stronger and stronger. I believe Vietnamese football will be further developed,” he said.

Despite that, according to the Korean, Vietnamese players are still not ready to play in Europe, even for reserve teams, making the Japanese or South Korean leagues more suitable.

Vietnamese footballers have struggled to make their mark abroad, with Nguyễn Tuấn Anh, Lương Xuân Trường, Nguyễn Công Phượng and Đoàn Văn Hậu all returning home after short spells abroad spent mostly on the bench.

Bae Ji-won is a former fitness coach of the Việt Nam national football team under Park Hang-seo.

After winning the AFF Suzuki Cup 2018, Bae Ji-won left the national team to focus on his own coaching career. VNS