When will Đỗ Hoàng Hên make his debut for the Vietnam national team? How will the duo of Hoàng Hên and Xuân Son strengthen the Vietnam squad?

17/10/2025 10:20:00 pandatv

The well-coordinated pair Xuân Son and Hoàng Hên are expected to be ready for the crucial match against Malaysia in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers.

On the morning of October 17, Brazilian-born midfielder Đỗ Hoàng Hên (Hendrio Araujo) attended the citizenship ceremony at the Hanoi Department of Justice to officially become a Vietnamese citizen. The 1994-born player will represent Hanoi FC as a domestic player starting from round 7 of the V-League.

This is not only good news for the capital’s club but also a positive sign for the Vietnam national team, especially as other regional football leagues are rapidly evolving thanks to the impact of naturalized players.

561644327_1237905021711906_2136716894999316155_n — Đỗ Hoàng Hên officially becomes a Vietnamese citizen (Photo: Hanoi FC)

According to the plan, Đỗ Hoàng Hên can represent the Vietnam national team starting after December 2025 (upon completing five years of residence and work here). If coach Kim Sang Sik decides to call him up, Hoàng Hên is very likely to make his debut in the decisive rematch against Malaysia in the Asian Cup qualifiers, a match critical to our qualification hopes.

If everything goes smoothly, by that time, striker Nguyễn Xuân Son will have recovered from his injury and be ready to return to the national team. The partnership between these two well-acquainted players promises to significantly boost the strength of the Vietnam team in the rematch.

Besides Xuân Son and Hoàng Hên, the "Golden Star Warriors" might also include several other naturalized players in the March 2026 match, such as Vietnamese diaspora goalkeeper Patrik Lê Giang, foreign players Gustavo Santos, Janclesio, Geovane... All of whom were personally recommended by coach Kim Sang Sik.

Since FIFA and AFC have yet to decide on the outcome of the first leg between Vietnam and Malaysia following the suspension of seven naturalized players, coach Kim Sang Sik’s team must maintain a mindset of winning, even by a large margin in all remaining matches, to have a chance at qualifying for the 2027 Asian Cup finals.

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