[베트남 축구 돌풍 김상식 감독 단독 인터뷰]
Won three major soccer tournaments in Southeast Asia last year
“Director = Chef on the field”… Widening player base, favorable reviews
Analyzing games while sleeping for 4 hours, discovering players in the 3rd division
Kim Sang-sik, coach of the Vietnam national soccer team, reveals his future goals in an interview with Hankook Ilbo held at the office of the Vietnam Football Association in Hanoi on the 25th of last month. Hanoi = Correspondent Heo Gyeong-ju
“Kim Sang-sik’s magical leadership took the Vietnam national soccer team to the next level.”
‘Bongda’, a media outlet specializing in soccer
Vietnamese football is now in the ‘era of common sense’. They are creating a sensation by winning every major game. It is difficult to find a day when the name of Vietnam national soccer team coach Kim Sang-sik (50) is not mentioned in local media.
Unlike the hot Vietnamese atmosphere, Director Kim’s gaze was calm. When we met at the office of the Vietnam Football Association (VFF) in Hanoi on the 25th of last month, he said, “Popularity can disappear in an instant like a bubble. I will not be satisfied with the present and will immediately start preparing for the next tournament.”
Won 3 major tournaments
Director Kim had a busy schedule even at the end of the year. On the morning of the 26th, the day after the interview, I was scheduled to leave for training in Qatar. It was a preparation for the 2026 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Under-23 Asian Cup group stage match to be held in Saudi Arabia from January 6.
It has been just a week since the team won the trophy 3-2 against Southeast Asia powerhouse Thailand in the men’s soccer final of the Southeast Asian Games (SEA) held in Bangkok on the 18th of last month. There was no time to even enjoy the afterglow of victory.
Vietnam’s national soccer team and coach Kim Sang-sik are celebrating after winning the Southeast Asian Games soccer final held at the Rajamangala National Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand on the 18th of last month. Bangkok = Reuters Yonhap News
2025 was literally ‘Kim Sang-sik’s year.’ Starting with winning the Mitsubishi Electric Cup (now Hyundai Cup), also known as the Southeast Asian World Cup, in January last year, the team won all three major tournaments in Southeast Asia, including the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) U-23 Championship (July) and the SEA Games (December). This is an achievement one and a half years after taking the helm in May 2024. In Vietnamese soccer history, Coach Kim is the first coach to lead all three championships to victory. It is a record that even former coach Park Hang-seo (in office from 2017 to 2023) could not achieve.
Local media praised this, calling it ‘Kim Sang-sik’s magic.’ However, Director Kim drew a line, saying, “There is no magic.” The explanation is that it is the result of the players’ sweat, effort, and passion. The role of the ‘Kim Sang-sik division’, including head coach Lee Jeong-soo, goalkeeper coach Lee Woon-jae, and physical coach Yoon Dong-heon, was also emphasized. He credited this achievement for being possible thanks to the coaching staff’s expertise and the association’s support.
‘Brother’ leadership in Vietnam
I went through an ordeal in Korea. He spent 15 years as a player, coach, and manager at K League 1 Jeonbuk Hyundai, but had to leave the team due to poor performance during the 2023 season. “I was so out of breath that I couldn’t even take the elevator,” he said. Afterwards, he spent his time as an outsider, but received an offer to coach the Vietnamese national team through Lee Dong-jun, CEO of DJ Management, a Korean soccer agency, and took the reins again in an unfamiliar land. DJ Management is also the company that previously recommended former coach Park to the Vietnam Football Association.
Kim Sang-sik, coach of the Vietnam national soccer team, poses at the Vietnam Football Association office in Hanoi on the 25th of last month. Hanoi = Correspondent Heo Gyeong-ju
Taking charge of the Vietnamese national team also meant coming face to face with the legacy left behind by former coach Park. Coach Kim expressed his respect, saying, “I just don’t want to ruin the Vietnamese soccer that coach Park Hang-seo has created.” He also described his style as ‘brother leadership’, comparing former coach Park to the fact that he was called ‘Papa Park’ by players and fans for his ‘fatherly leadership’. It is said that he is like an older brother who is strict during training, but usually treats the players without hesitation.
Adapting to an unfamiliar environment was not easy. However, the distance was narrowed by building trust with players and clarifying roles by identifying each individual’s strengths and weaknesses through a ‘tingam’ similar to Korea’s. In the process, he also earned the nicknames ‘anh sáu’ and ‘thầy sáu’ among local players and fans. They are like ‘Sik Hyung’ and ‘Sik Teacher’ respectively. ‘Sau’ means the number 6 in Vietnamese, and the last letter of Director Kim’s name, ‘Sik’, has a similar pronunciation to the English 6 (Six).
This method of communication also made a difference in game management. Yongin liquor is also highly regarded by local media. It is evaluated that the player base was expanded by boldly hiring players who had not received attention. Daily Thanh Nien analyzed, “The greatest value brought by coach Kim Sang-sik is that Vietnamese soccer is no longer dependent on a specific ‘golden generation’.”
Director Kim Sang-sik writes down Vietnam’s national anthem ‘Tien Cuan Ca’ in Korean to memorize it. It is said that the sight of him singing the Vietnamese national anthem left a deep impression on the local people. Provided by Director Kim
This approach is in line with his view of soccer. Director Kim compared the director to a ‘chef on the field.’ You have to think about which ingredients to choose, what flavor you want to create with those ingredients, and find the best combination even if you don’t have enough ingredients. The process of adjusting tactics depending on the opponent and situation is also an extension of this perspective.
Serves as a bridge between Korea and Vietnam
The popularity of Coach Kim, who brought back the ‘winning DNA’ to Vietnam, is growing day by day. No matter where I go, more people recognize me and welcome me. In particular, the scene where he memorized and sang the Vietnamese national anthem ‘Tien Cuan Ca (The March Song)’ left a deep impression on local fans. He said he practiced by writing down the lyrics in Korean with the help of an interpreter, and even looked up YouTube videos to learn them over and over again. It was because I wanted to sincerely reach out to the Vietnamese people.
Recently, Vietnam’s leading daily newspaper Tuoi Tre collaborated with precious metals conglomerate PNJ to award a special gold medal worth 500 million dong (about 28 million won) made of 24K pure gold. The medal was engraved with the flags and chrysanthemums of Korea and Vietnam, as well as Korean palaces and Vietnamese traditional hats. It serves as a bridge between Korea and Vietnam.
A 24K pure gold gold medal presented by Vietnamese daily Tuoi Che to director Kim Sang-sik. CTV Capture
Kim Sang-sik’s journey is currently ongoing. The Vietnamese national soccer team advanced to the quarterfinals as first place in Group A by defeating Saudi Arabia, the host nation and a favorite to win the AFC U-23 tournament currently underway in Saudi Arabia. This is the result of reducing sleep to less than 4 hours a day, focusing on game analysis, and even reaching out to the third division to discover players.
However, Director Kim has no intention of becoming complacent. He said, “It is a great honor to be able to leave a meaningful record in the history of soccer in a country,” and “Rather than just staying with this record, I have a responsibility to set a higher standard with the players.”
The gaze is already directed further away. “I want to participate in Vietnam’s dream of becoming competitive on the Asian stage beyond Southeast Asia and, in the long term, advancing to the World Cup. I will continue to challenge myself with my players.” This is Director Kim’s goal.
The Vietnam U-23 national soccer team, led by coach Kim Sang-sik, is taking a commemorative photo after defeating the host country Saudi Arabia in the third and final match of Group A of the tournament held at the Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Sports City Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on the 12th. Provided by Vietnam Football Association
Hanoi = text and photos Heo Gyeong-ju correspondent fairyhkj@hankookilbo.com
