Determining the time when the Vietnam national team will have Brazilian naturalized players

Hendrio has been registered as a naturalized player in the V-League but must still wait to be eligible to play for the Vietnam national team.

Hanoi FC has officially registered Hendrio as a player of foreign origin in Vietnam (a naturalized player) to participate in the 2025/2026 V-League season under the new name Đỗ Hoàng Hên. However, up to now, Hendrio has not yet obtained Vietnamese citizenship.

Before the third round, which was the final deadline for V-League clubs to register additional players, Hanoi FC had to register Hendrio as a naturalized player even though the procedures were not yet completed. In one season, a player can only be registered under a single status, and since Hendrio was registered as a naturalized player, he cannot compete as a foreign player.

According to regulations, a player must have lived and worked in Vietnam for 5 years to officially obtain citizenship. The Brazilian midfielder started playing in Vietnam for Binh Dinh club in early December 2019, meaning he will only meet the criteria in December 2025.

If naturalization is successful and all FIFA requirements are met, the Brazilian midfielder could be called up to the Vietnam national team no earlier than March 2026 for the match against Malaysia in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers.

If he arrived in Vietnam earlier, around October or November, the waiting period might be reduced accordingly. However, if citizenship is only granted in December, Hendrio will miss many Hanoi FC matches, including more than 10 V-League games and 1-2 National Cup matches.

More importantly, Hendrio will almost miss a full year of professional matches. The last time the Brazilian midfielder played was in the AFC Champions League Two Round of 16 match between Nam Dinh FC and Sanfrecce Hiroshima in February 2025.

After nearly a year without professional play and only training individually, Hendrio will definitely need to work hard to maintain his form upon return. Even with citizenship, the Brazilian midfielder must perform excellently to have a chance of being called up by coach Kim Sang Sik to the Vietnam national team.