Thai Media: 'After Xuan Son, Vietnam's National Team Gains a New Brazilian Flavor'

Thai media, specifically the website Ball Thai, has shown particular interest in the debut of naturalized midfielder Do Hoang Hen for the Vietnam national team, following an impressive victory over Bangladesh.

Thai media highlighted the debut of the player contracted to Hanoi FC: "The second 'Brazilian naturalized player' after Nguyen Xuan Son, bearing the Brazilian name Rafaelson, officially debuted for the Vietnam national team when 'Do Hoang Hen' (Brazilian name: Hendrio Araujo) featured in the friendly match where Vietnam defeated Bangladesh 3-0 at home."

In the match held on March 26th at Hang Day Stadium, Hoang Hen was trusted by coach Kim Sang Sik to start right in his first appearance for the national team. Not only did he play from the beginning, the Brazilian-born midfielder also completed the full 90 minutes, contributing to Vietnam's control of the game and securing a convincing 3-0 victory.

Although he couldn't score on his debut day, Hoang Hen still left a certain impression with confident plays and offensive involvement. He had at least two notable opportunities, including a situation in the 24th minute when he shot inaccurately inside the box following Truong Tien Anh's pass. The most regrettable was a long-range shot in the 88th minute that hit the post, causing him to miss his first goal for the national team.

Speaking after the match, Hoang Hen shared in quite clear Vietnamese: "This is my first match for the Vietnam national team. Today the team won 3-0 so I am very happy. This was my practice match for the game against Malaysia". When asked about missing several chances, he appeared relaxed: "It's okay, I will try my best to score in the next match. That is an official and very important match".

This naturalized midfielder also affirmed his goal for the next match: "I will try my best to score against Malaysia. But more importantly, Vietnam wins". Besides that, Hoang Hen admitted he hasn't reached 100% of his form, but was still satisfied that the team achieved victory on his debut day.

Beyond his professional skills, Hoang Hen also scored points with fans by singing the Vietnamese National Anthem before the match and communicating confidently in Vietnamese after the game. These images show his rapid integration as well as the dedication of the Brazilian-born player.

With a notable debut and determination to prove himself, Hoang Hen is receiving many expectations to become an important element of the Vietnam national team, especially in the match against Malaysia in the upcoming 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers.