New Vietnam coach to receive 3rd of predecessor Frenchman's salary

In his contract for until March 2026, the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) has spelled out in detail what Kim needs to accomplish: the team need to reach at least the semifinals of the 2024 AFF Cup and 2025 SEA Games and qualify for the 2026 U23 Asian Cup. He manages both the national team and U23 team and his contract will be reviewed over stages based on results of the teams.

He is allowed to bring three assistants to Vietnam. Their salaries have not been revealed.

Kim's salary is much lower than the "million dollar" figure rumored on social media recently and only half his compatriot Park Hang-seo’s.

Park had helped Vietnamese football reach many milestones when he was head coach from 2017 to 2023, including finishing second at the 2018 U23 Asian Cup, winning the 2018 AFF Cup, reaching the semis of the 2019 Asian Games, winning gold medals at SEA Games 2019 and 2021, and entering the third qualifying round of the 2022 World Cup for the first time.

Kim was introduced to VFF through DJ Management, a company that also manages Park, and he beat more than 10 other candidates to the job.

Kim has to immediately get to work, with the first priority being selecting the national team after watching the domestic league.

Vietnam will play two games in June in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers: against the Philippines on June 6 and Iraq on June 12.

Vietnam are currently third in group F with three points, four less than second placed Indonesia, and so their chances of advancing are quite slim.

Kim, 48, coached Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors from 2020 to 2023, winning the K-League 1 in 2021 and the Korea FA Cup in 2022.

He was named best coach in the league for both seasons.

But in early 2023 he was fired after Jeonbuk made a poor start, winning only three out of 10 games.

As a player, he made 59 appearances for the South Korean national team between 2000 and 2012, helping them finish third at the Asian Cup in 2000 and 2007.