Coach Mai Đức Chung shares with AFC about his decision regarding the Vietnam national team

Coach Mai Đức Chung offered important insights on his decision to keep coaching the Vietnam women's national team following SEA Games 33.

After seven years with the Vietnam women's football team, highlighted by guiding the team to qualify for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 for the first time in history, Coach Mai Đức Chung once thought it was time to conclude his coaching journey.

However, as the Vietnam Football Federation has yet to find a suitable successor, this veteran coach has once again been fully trusted. In an interview response with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), Coach Mai Đức Chung revealed that his decision to return stems from a sense of responsibility and love for Vietnamese women's football.

“At my age, I had wanted to spend time resting with my family after a very challenging year in 2023,” said Coach Mai Đức Chung, who is 74 years old this year. “I have been associated with the national women's football team for over 30 years.”

The experienced coach emphasized that the progress of Vietnamese women's football is the result of a collective effort, supported by many forces. “Thanks to the care and support from the country's leaders, ministries, agencies, and especially football fans nationwide, Vietnamese women's football has continuously developed,” he stated.

According to Coach Mai Đức Chung, given the many limitations, the achievements of the team represent a tremendous effort. “There are only six women's football clubs in the whole country, yet we have reached a global level. This is the outcome of the team's extraordinary efforts,” he affirmed. “We have worked hard to qualify for three consecutive AFC Women's Asian Cup final tournaments.”

Although he once considered taking a break, Coach Mai Đức Chung said that his passion and the invitation from VFF leaders prompted him to decide to continue his journey. “For the career, love, and passion for this work, along with the invitation from VFF leaders, I decided to come back once more – out of love,” he expressed.

Throughout his coaching career with the Vietnam women's national team, Coach Mai Đức Chung has left a strong mark with a Southeast Asian championship, four SEA Games gold medals from 2017 to 2023, a quarterfinal berth at the 2022 AFC Women’s Asian Cup in India, and notably, the first-ever participation at the 2023 Women's World Cup held in Australia and New Zealand.

Despite his advanced age, he said he remains deeply concerned about the long-term development path of Vietnamese women's football. “We have thought a lot about how to continue improving,” Coach Mai Đức Chung said. “Especially now, in Southeast Asia, not only Vietnam but many other countries are paying great attention to women's football, investing heavily in training and competitions to achieve good results.”

He considers this a positive sign for the future of women's football in the region.“This is truly encouraging and makes us very happy when looking at the future of Southeast Asian women's football,” he shared. “Therefore, we are even more determined to give our best.”

In the upcoming phase, youth training is identified as a key task. “Currently, we are focusing on training young players from clubs and localities where women's football is developing, including schools and youth training programs,” Coach Mai Đức Chung said.