Coach Vu Hong Viet helps Nam Dinh Club revive

What is happening in the 2025/26 season with Steel Xanh Nam Dinh Club shows the harshness of football sometimes linked to impatient decisions. The home team of Thiên Trường stadium struggled with two replacements for Coach Vu Hong Viet but quickly realized only he could help the club stand up strongly.

Coach Vu Hong Viet becoming technical director after round 7 of V-League 2025/26 was once seen as a strategic move byNam Dinh.

Partly because Mr. Viet had an unsatisfactory start with the club after two seasons dominating the domestic league in 2023/24 and 2024/25. But reality proved that could be a mistake causing the Nam team almost to pay the price with a disappointing season.

At the start of the 2025/26 season,Nam Dinhhad only 7 points after 7 matches in V-League. That is a shocking number for the reigning champion.

Although still performing quite well in international arenas like AFC Champions League Two or ASEAN Club Championship with 3 wins out of 4 matches, their form in V-League declined.

The decision to replace the head coach with Coach Nguyen Trung Kien then later Coach Mauro Jeronimo did not bring effectiveness. Nam Dinh even at times fell to the bottom group, losing the image of the champion. And then, when everything hit rock bottom, they had to return to the old choice, the name Vu Hong Viet.

That return was not merely a personnel change, but resembled "rebooting the system." A coach who understands the team from its roots, knows every player, every tactical habit, and that is something the replacements could not have in a short time.

The effect came almost immediately. 4 matches, 4 victories. That number says everything. Nam Dinh not only won, but played with the familiar image of cohesion, high energy, dominating opponents, and sharpness in attack.

The timely return ofNguyen Xuan Soncreated a big boost for the attack. This striker brought excitement and finishing ability that the team lacked during the crisis period. Xuan Son, after "breaking the curse" in V-League, also just made his mark in the National Cup with a goal against SHB Da Nang on March 18 evening. Besides, new signing Akolo also quickly integrated with 3 goals in the last 5 matches. That is a performance sufficient to build confidence.

The most important thing remains the imprint of Vu Hong Viet in operating the playing style. He does not need trial time, does not need acclimatization, because everything is already in his "memory." That seamless continuity helps Nam Dinh quickly find its orbit again.

Many Nam Dinh fans also regretted that if there had not been an early change at the start of the season, perhaps the story would be different. Nam Dinh might not have fallen deep on the ranking table, and the championship race might still be within control. Currently, with 21 points and 7th position, Nam Dinh is far from the championship but still has opportunity to compete for medals in this season's V-League.

In cup competitions, the opportunity is even clearer. In ASEAN Club Championship, Nam Dinh has reached the semifinals and will face Selangor of Malaysia which is very manageable. Domestically, the dramatic 2-1 victory over SHB Da Nang at Chi Lang stadium also brought Coach Vu Hong Viet and his team into the National Cup semifinals, opening the chance to win a title.

Coach Vu Hong Viet is not a miracle. But he is the person who understands how to make this team operate correctly. It is not random that many people give him the nickname Viet "red" for the luck when coming to work in Nam city for many years.

With Coach Vu Hong Viet, Nam Dinh still has opportunity to turn a season seemingly wasted into a memorable ending.