Hanoi club sign contract with former Korean coach of national U23 team

The Korean coach signed the two-year contract at the club's headquarters in Hung Yen Province that borders Hanoi. He is assigned to help the club defense their V. League title this season, and he can choose one assistant of his own.

He will fly back to South Korea on Tuesday and return to Hanoi three days later to complete necessary papers. He is expected to make his debut as CAHN coach as they play Hai Phong on Dec. 4.

Gong, 49, coached Vietnam at the U23 Asian Cup in 2022. He encouraged the young players to be confident and play attack football against Thailand, South Korea and Malaysia. The result was two draws and a win before a 0-2 elimination loss in the semifinals to Saudi Arabia, who went on to win the title.

After the tournament, Gong parted ways with Vietnam U23 and has not coached since.

CAHN have perhaps the strongest squad in Vietnam with a series of stars such as goalkeeper Filip Nguyen, defenders Bui Hoang Viet Anh and Bui Tien Dung, full-backs Vu Van Thanh, Doan Van Hau, Ho Tan Tai, midfielders Phan Van Duc, Nguyen Quang Hai, and striker Geovane Magno.

However, they haven’t performed as well as expected.

Last season, CAHN were led by three different coaches: Paulo Foiani, Flavio Cruz and technical director Tran Tien Dai.

This season in the V. League, CAHN have had so far a 1-1 draw with Binh Dinh FC and a 3-0 win over Hoang Anh Gia Lai.

Before that, the team lost to Thanh Hoa FC at the Super Cup.

CAHN initially aimed to recruit coach Mano Polking. However, Polking still has a contract with the Thailand national football team until the end of the 2024 Asian Cup.