Vietnamese football must consistently reach finals to advance.

Mr. To did not mention the club level. However, for a coach with two V-League titles, this is implied. The strength of national teams begins with the internal power of clubs.

One day after CAHN earned their first 3 points in the Shopee Cup, or more precisely the Southeast Asian club championship this season, against Dynamic Herb Cebu, Nam Dinh followed with a similar result by winning 2-1 over PKR Svay Rieng. This is the highest-level club competition in Southeast Asia. Last season, although CAHN did not win the title, they made a strong impression by reaching the final.

If Vietnam’s top clubs in the professional football system cannot conquer the Southeast Asian club tournament, how can they compete in continental tournaments like the AFC Champions League Elite or AFC Champions League Two?

Returning to Nam Dinh’s most recent match, which was also their home opener against PKR Svay Rieng (Cambodia’s representative). A 2-1 victory seems modest since Cambodian football cannot compare to Vietnam’s at both national and club levels. Nam Dinh is Vietnam’s strongest team, with a starting lineup almost entirely foreign players worth hundreds of billions of dong. Why invest in these foreign players if not to win continental or regional championships?

In the Shopee Cup, Southeast Asia’s top club competition, Vietnamese representatives must demonstrate their value before national teams can prove themselves regionally. Otherwise, the football status cannot improve. Yet it seems Vietnamese clubs’ participation internationally is merely for "extra earnings."

Over 15 years ago, HN ACB was like this. Twenty years ago, Da Nang too. Twenty-three years ago, HAGL in the Southeast Asian C1 Cup (now Shopee Cup) was involved in unresolved scandals... In short, Vietnamese football, both at club and national levels, has yet to escape these "ghosts."

Therefore, the first victories of CAHN or Nam Dinh in the Shopee Cup 2025 - 2026 are seen as essential. Vietnamese football remains a regional leader. Reaching the final and bringing home the trophy is what truly matters.