Malaysian fans are worried as Vietnam's national team unveils the duo 'Son – Hên'

The preliminary list of Vietnam's national team for the FIFA Days has drawn attention with the inclusion of the naturalized duo Nguyễn Xuân Son and Đỗ Hoàng Hên. Their appearance quickly prompted notable reactions from Malaysian fans.

In the official announcement, the Vietnam Football Federation attracted attention with a message full of implication: “Vietnam's national team now has both 'Son' and 'Hên'”. This is considered a promising combination, bringing high expectations to fans ahead of the upcoming matches. Moreover, the possibility of both players appearing in the starting lineup is also highly rated.

Immediately after this news, the Malaysian online community had many notable reactions. A Malaysian fan commented: “Vietnam has added more naturalized players, this time it sounds really dangerous…”

A Malaysian account shared: “Xuân Son was already troublesome, now adding Hoàng Hên means our defense will have a tough time.”

Another worried fan said: “Hope Malaysia has a counter plan, because Vietnam's attacking line looks quite scary now.”

A Malaysian fan assessed: “Vietnam is upgrading their squad very quickly, the next match definitely won't be easy at all.”

A comment on social media wrote: “Just hearing the names 'Son' and 'Hên' already feels unlucky for us…”

From a professional perspective, Hoàng Hên has scored 6 goals and provided 3 assists in V.League, playing a major role in helping the capital city club rise to the top group of the standings. His consistent form is seen as a big plus in the eyes of the national team coaching staff.

A notable point is that despite growing up in the Brazilian football environment, Hoàng Hên possesses a rather minimalist and effective playing style. He is not overly flashy in his handling, instead focusing on timely touches, sensible movement, and finishing when opportunities arise. This is also a style similar to Nguyễn Xuân Son, who emphasizes directness and efficiency in attacking situations.

In the context where Xuân Son hasn't reached his peak form after a long injury recovery period, the arrival of Hoàng Hên is expected to help "share the load" on the frontline. Coach Kim Sang-sik is likely to utilize this duo to restructure the attacking system, which currently has issues with many players tending towards elaborate, indecisive handling.