The Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) have identified the person who will succeed Park Hang-seo at the national team hot-seat. Frenchman Philippe Troussier has reached a verbal agreement with the VFF to take control of both the senior and U-23 national teams, with a formal contract to be drafted next week.
Troussier was no stranger to Vietnamese football – after all, he had taken charge of the Vietnam U-19s from 2019 to 2021 as well as serving as technical director at the prestigious PVF Academy in Hung Yen, which was bankrolled by Vietnam’s largest conglomerate, Vingroup, back in 2018.
The 67-year old has agreed verbally on a two-year contract with the VFF, with an option to extend for another year. Troussier’s salary is projected to be higher than the $50,000/month paid by the VFF for Hang-seo’s services.
Once formally succeeding Hang-seo, Troussier will be given the task of guiding Vietnam U-23 through the 2023 SEA Games in Cambodia this May, before taking charge of the senior team in the upcoming 2023 AFC Asian Cup in Qatar.
Dubbed the “White Witch Doctor” for his contribution towards football in Africa, Troussier will inherit a squad currently experiencing its golden generation, with Hang-seo stepping down from his post after five years in charge following the expiration of his contract.
During his tenure, Hang-seo had led Vietnam to third qualifying round of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the 2019 AFC Asian Cup quarterfinals, and the 2018 AFF Championship. He had also led Vietnam U-23 into the final of the 2018 AFC U-23 Asian Cup, where they finished runners-up to Uzbekistan, as well as clinching a quarterfinal spot in the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta as well as nabbing two consecutive gold medals in the 2019 and 2021 SEA Games.
Hang-seo’s tenure ended in January’s 2022 AFF Championship final, where Vietnam succumbed to a 3-2 aggregate defeat at the hands of Thailand to finish as runners-up.
As for Troussier, he’s well-known in both Africa and Asia, having taken charge of Ivory Coast, Nigeria, South Africa, and Burkina Faso, as well as winning major honors with Ivorian giants ASEC Mimosas and Morrocan side FUS Rabat, thus earning him the aforementioned “White Witch Doctor” nickname.
In Asia, Troussier led Japan to the 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup final and the 2002 FIFA World Cup round of 16, before taking charge of Japanese lower league side FC Ryukyu and Chinese top-flight outfits Shenzhen Ruby (now Shenzhen FC) and Hangzhou Greentown (now Zhejiang FC).