The Indian men’s football team will face Vietnam in an international friendly on October 12 following the cancellation of a tri-nation tournament in Southeast Asia. The tournament was called off after Lebanon withdrew due to challenges in flying out amid the ongoing crisis in their country.
Initially, India was scheduled to play Vietnam on October 9 and Lebanon on October 12 at Thiên Trường Stadium in Nam Định, roughly 100 km from Hanoi, in the FIFA international match window from October 7 to 15.
India-Vietnam rivalry
The story of the football rivalry between India and Vietnam dates back many years. Between the 1950s and 1970s, India played several tight matches against the erstwhile South Vietnam national team in various Merdeka Cups and Asian Games tournaments. However, meetings have been rare in the 21st century, and Saturday’s match in Nam Dinh will mark only the fourth time India has faced unified Vietnam in senior internationals.
All three previous encounters were friendly matches. In 2004, Vietnam secured a 2-1 victory in the LG Cup in Ho Chi Minh City. In 2010, a hat-trick from Sunil Chhetri powered India to a 3-1 win in Pune. The most recent fixture occurred in 2022 in Ho Chi Minh City, where the hosts won 3-0 in the Hung Thinh Friendly Tournament.
The current Vietnam squad includes 13 players who participated two years ago, including goal scorers Nguyen Van Toan and Nguyen Van Quyet. Ten of India’s 23 players made the trip to Southeast Asia in 2022: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Anwar Ali, Jeakson Singh Thounaojam, Chinglensana Singh Konsham, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Brandon Fernandes, Liston Colaco, Vikram Partap Singh, Amrinder Singh, and Naorem Roshan Singh.
In many ways, the current situations of Vietnam and India are similar. Both are in a rebuilding phase under new head coaches after their exits from the second round of the FIFA World Cup qualifiers. India missed qualifying by two points behind Kuwait, while Vietnam finished Group F behind Iraq and Indonesia.
Vietnam, ranked 10 places above India at 116th, appointed former South Korean international Kim Sang-sik as their head coach in June. Under his leadership, they have achieved one victory against the Philippines and suffered three defeats so far. In the September window, they lost both matches against Russia (0-3) and Thailand (1-2) in the LPBank Cup friendly tournament in Hanoi.
The year 2024 has not been favorable for either India or Vietnam. The Blue Tigers have yet to taste victory since November 2023, while the Golden Star Warriors have recorded 10 defeats in their last 11 matches. Both sides are desperate for success, and Manolo Marquez expects a close contest.
“I think Vietnam has good players. We are playing away from home, which will be difficult for us, but equally challenging for them. We look physically better than before, but we can still improve. Our league started less than a month ago, and if you ask anyone involved in professional football, they will tell you that you’re not in your best condition until you have played at least 10-12 matches in the season. But that doesn’t matter as we are playing now. Vietnam is in a similar situation since their league has also completed four rounds,” said the India head coach, as quoted by the AIFF official website.
Like India, the entire Vietnam squad plays in their domestic league, the V.League 1, which features a mix of experienced and young players. Notable names include veteran striker Nguyen Van Quyet, center-back and captain Que Ngoc Hai, goalkeeper Dang Van Lam, and midfielder Do Hung Dung. With 21 international goals, Nguyen Tien Linh is the highest scorer in the current squad. Midfielder Nguyen Quang Hai spent a season in French Ligue 2 with Pau FC a couple of years ago.
The majority of Vietnam’s players are under 26, including promising talents like Nguyen Thanh Binh, Khuat Van Khang, and Nguyen Thai Son. The youngest player in Kim Sang-sik’s side, 20-year-old forward Nguyen Dinh Bac, already has two goals in 10 appearances for the Vietnam senior team.
Vietnam will miss forward Pham Tuan Hai and defender Ho Tan Tai due to injuries. Some regulars like Do Duy Manh, Nguyen Tuan Anh, and Phan Van Duc are also not part of the squad for the friendly against India.
The 27-member Vietnam squad has been training since October 5 at the Vietnam Youth Football Training Centre in Hanoi. They are scheduled to play a practice match against reigning V.League champions Thep Xanh Nam Dinh FC on October 9 before traveling to Nam Dinh on October 11, the day before the match.
Manolo Marquez’s team held their first training session in Vietnam on Monday evening at the Nam Dinh Sports Palace, a training ground located just two kilometers from their hotel. On Tuesday morning, strength and conditioning coach Jose Carlos Barroso supervised a 45-minute gym session. Marquez acknowledged that having more days to train ahead of the match will benefit the team. The Blue Tigers plan to train every evening before matchday to build chemistry, rhythm, fitness, and tactical knowledge.