Is HAGL’s No.1 goalkeeper set to replace Đặng Văn Lâm in the Vietnam national team?

Thanks to his outstanding performance, Trần Trung Kiên can definitely challenge for the first-choice goalkeeper spot in the Vietnam national squad alongside Đặng Văn Lâm and Nguyễn Văn Việt.

During the training camp preparing for the two matches against Nepal in October, coach Kim Sang Sik included three goalkeepers: Đặng Văn Lâm, Trần Trung Kiên, and Nguyễn Văn Việt. Although the youngest among the goalkeepers, HAGL’s Trần Trung Kiên has a real chance to compete for the starting role with his senior teammates.

Born in 2003, the goalkeeper from Hoàng Anh Gia Lai has had multiple opportunities to work with coach Kim Sang Sik. At the AFF Cup, although he was a substitute throughout the tournament, Trung Kiên gained valuable match experience. At the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Championship and the 2026 U23 Asian qualifiers, he became the first-choice goalkeeper for Vietnam’s U23 team, making several impressive saves. Notably, the 1.91m tall player kept a clean sheet for the entire team during the Asian campaign.

At the club level, Trung Kiên is a key player for the mountain town team. After the first five rounds, he has conceded only 5 goals, helping HAGL rank as the third least conceded team, behind Thể Công Viettel (3 goals) and CAHN (4 goals). In the round 2 match against Hà Nội FC, Trung Kiên impressed by saving all 10 shots from the capital’s team. Despite just starting one season as the main goalkeeper for the mountain club, “Spider-Man” Trần Trung Kiên is showing remarkable growth.

Against Nepal, a team without a particularly strong attack, this could be an opportunity for coach Kim Sang Sik to boldly give Trung Kiên the starting role. If he continues to demonstrate stability and confidence, the young HAGL goalkeeper could certainly make Đặng Văn Lâm and Văn Việt “watch their backs” in the competition for the Vietnam national team’s goalkeeping position.

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