The reason why Vietnam's U19 goalkeeper declined Japanese citizenship, nurturing the dream of contributing to the national team colors

The Vietnam U19 national team has announced a list of 31 players for the first training camp in 2026, preparing for the 2026 Southeast Asian U19 Championship and aiming for the 2027 Asian U20 qualification round. In this list, a particularly notable name is goalkeeper Nguyen Ba Nhat Ka.

Nhat Ka is currently a university student and plays for the football team of Ryutsu Keizai University, one of Japan's prestigious football training institutions. With an impressive height of 1.96m, the 17-year-old goalkeeper possesses a rare physical advantage among young Vietnamese footballers.

Nhat Ka's family moved to Japan to live in 2015, and it was here that he began pursuing football in a systematic way. While studying at Kashiwa High School, part of the Ryutsu Keizai University system, Nhat Ka played in Japan's top-tier U18 system, frequently facing youth academies of J.League clubs.

Despite growing up in a developed football environment like Japan, Nhat Ka chose to retain his Vietnamese citizenship. When his school suggested acquiring Japanese citizenship for career convenience, the young goalkeeper declined. The reason was clear: if he changed his nationality, he would lose the opportunity to represent Vietnam's national teams in the future. This decision reflects the strong desire of the 2009-born player to contribute to his homeland's football.

Previously, Nhat Ka had the opportunity to train with the Vietnam U20 team during a training camp in Japan in 2024 and received positive evaluations from the coaching staff. His continued call-up this time indicates he is part of the long-term plans for Vietnam's youth national teams.

The list of Vietnam U19 players for this training camp includes 31 players, marking the initial step in the process of reviewing and building the squad. Alongside Nhat Ka, familiar faces from youth teams such as Nguyen Duc Nhat, Le Minh Nhat, Bach Trong Duong, and Nguyen Hoang Nam are also expected to play key roles.

According to the plan, the Vietnam U19 team will assemble from March 17 to 29 at the Vietnam Youth Football Training Center under the guidance of coach Yutaka Ikeuchi. After the training phase, the coaching staff will conduct player selection and add personnel to create competitiveness and finalize the squad for important upcoming objectives.