The contract signing ceremony and announcement of the new head coach of the national football team and U23 team will take place on May 6, the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) has announced.
According to the contract, Kim Sang-sik, a former coach of the Republic of Korea’s multi-time champions Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, will take on the head-coach position of those teams from May 2024 to March 2026.
The first task for the new Korean head coach is to lead the Vietnamese squad in the remaining two Round 2 matches of the Asian division of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification, facing the Philippines and Iraq in June.
He will also be provided with the best conditions to prepare the U23 team for the 2026 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers, scheduled to take place in September 2025, as well as the 33rd SEA Games in Thailand in December the same year.
Kim expressed his hope that with the two countries’ cultural similarities and sound relationship, he will receive support of Vietnamese fans and media, thereby gaining greater motivation to fulfill his responsibilities and contribute to the development of Vietnamese football.
Born in 1976, Kim joined Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in 2009 as a player. He served as an assistant coach from 2013 to 2020, during which the team won six K-League 1 championships. Between 2021 and 2023, Kim held the head coach role, leading the club to win the 2021 K-League 1 and the 2022 Korean FA Cup.
