Vietnamese football achieves an unprecedented feat at the AFC level

For the first time, the AFC/VFF coaching course is fully conducted by Vietnamese lecturers who take complete control of the teaching process.

On the morning of February 2nd, in Hai Phong city, the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) in collaboration with Hai Phong Football Club and the Hai Phong Football Federation held the opening ceremony for the AFC/VFF “C” license goalkeeper coaching course. The course runs from February 2nd to 8th, 2026.

This course features two Vietnamese instructors directly teaching: Mr. Nguyen The Anh (Lecturer) and Mr. Dang Dinh Duc (Assistant Lecturer). It is also the first course entirely managed by Vietnamese instructors, marking a significant milestone in developing and standardizing Vietnam’s goalkeeper coaching training system according to AFC standards.

To be qualified to lead this course, the Vietnamese instructors underwent comprehensive training, notably participating in the first “A” license goalkeeper coaching course and the goalkeeper instructor course in 2023.

Additionally, the curriculum development received guidance and professional support from instructor Kato Yoshio – an experienced FIFA/AFC/JFA goalkeeper expert who has been involved in over 50 FIFA/AFC appointed courses, co-founded the Japan goalkeeper project, and participated in playing and coaching Japanese goalkeepers at the FIFA World Cup. Mr. Kato Yoshio also contributed significantly to training Vietnam’s first “A” license goalkeeper coaches.

Before the course began, the Vietnamese goalkeeper instructors including Nguyen The Anh, Chau Tri Cuong, Tran Minh Quang, and Dang Dinh Duc proactively discussed, shared, and prepared lesson plans and specialized analysis clips for teaching content. During preparation, instructor Kato Yoshio frequently stayed in contact, updating professional materials for the Vietnamese instructors to reference and further refine the program according to AFC standards.

The AFC/VFF “C” license goalkeeper coaching course in Hai Phong represents a crucial step, demonstrating the VFF’s efforts to standardize coaching training, progressively mastering an AFC-recognized goalkeeper coaching curriculum, aiming to enhance the quality of human resources and sustainably develop Vietnamese football.

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