Hoàng Hên is Coach Kim Sang Sik's 'gift'

Two years ago, at the ASEAN Cup 2024, the emergence of naturalized foreign player Nguyễn Xuân Son helped the Vietnamese national team under Coach Kim Sang Sik march straight to the championship with unstoppable form, and this year, ahead of the ASEAN Cup 2026 with the task of successfully defending the defending champion title, the Korean strategist again has the reinforcement of another foreign-born superstar, Đỗ Hoàng Hên.

Officially debuting in LPBank V-League 2025/26 from round 7, and concluding round 16, Hoàng Hên has totaled 6 goals and 4 assists, contributing significantly to Hanoi FC's current 4th-place achievement.

Hoàng Hên's excellent form has become a prominent highlight for the team under Coach Harry Kewell, especially in the context where pillars like Văn Quyết and Hùng Dũng show signs of decline due to age burdens, while Hanoi FC's foreign player lineup is only at a fairly average level compared to the V-League standard.

With this form, Hoàng Hên will be a valuable choice for Coach Kim Sang Sik in the Vietnamese national team's attack, immediately for the match against the Malaysian national team at the end of this month, and further ahead at the ASEAN Cup 2026 this summer.

Before parting with Nam Định, Hoàng Hên and Xuân Son were an extremely harmonious attacking duo, from Bình Định to Nam Định, and when this pair of Brazilian-born foreign players reunite in the Vietnamese national team, it can be predicted what they will bring to Coach Kim Sang Sik.

Two years ago, despite missing nearly 3 matches at ASEAN Cup 2024 (2 group stage matches and the final second leg), Xuân Son still scored 7 goals, far surpassing players right behind like Nguyễn Tiến Linh, Suphanat Mueanta, Patrik Gustavsson, Shawal Anuar... (all only 3 goals), winning the Top Scorer and Best Player of the tournament awards.

Currently, Xuân Son hasn't regained his explosive form from 2024, but with the appearance of a top-notch creative expert and harmonious partner like Hoàng Hên, the day Xuân Son returns as a menace to Southeast Asian teams' defenses surely isn't far away.

Similar to Xuân Son, Hoàng Hên has played many years in V-League so he is no stranger to any Vietnamese player, and thus this midfielder doesn't have to worry about integration issues when joining the Vietnamese national team, because around Hoàng Hên are all faces that couldn't be more familiar.

Besides, fitness is also not a problem for Hoàng Hên, even though he started V-League 2025/26 later than many other colleagues. Since his debut for Hanoi FC in round 7, Coach Kewell has used Hoàng Hên according to a calculated plan so this midfielder could gradually adapt to the match pace in V-League.

In the last two matches of Hanoi FC in rounds 15 and 16 of V-League, Hoàng Hên played the full 90 minutes each, including added time, and left his mark with 2 goals and 1 assist, convincing proof that he is reaching his best state both in fitness and performance.

Moreover, Hoàng Hên still shines brightly even when Coach Kewell positions him on both wings for Hanoi FC, making it even more convenient for Coach Kim Sang Sik to arrange Hoàng Hên's position in the Vietnamese national team without worrying about affecting the operating space of other pillars like Hoàng Đức or Quang Hải.

Therefore, it wouldn't be excessive to say that Hoàng Hên is precisely a precious gift for Coach Kim Sang Sik in the Vietnamese national team, both now and in the near future.