Vietnam footballer extends contract with Portuguese club

"Huynh Nhu has signed a new contract that keep her at the club for another year," Nhu's agent Roger Linh Mai told VnExpress on Thursday. "In fact, this is a clause in the previous contract. Lank was satisfied with Nhu's performance, so they activated this clause."

Huynh Nhu (L) plays for Lank FC. Photo by Lank FC

Nhu, 32, played for the first team of Ho Chi Minh City I when she was 17 years old, having won seven national championships. She is currently the captain of the Vietnam national women's team and won four SEA Games gold medals along with qualifying for the 2023 Women's World Cup.

She became the first Vietnamese female player to play football in Europe when she signed a contract with Lank in August 2022. Last season, she scored seven goals for Lank. Nhu was allowed by the club to return to play SEA Games 32 last May and won a gold medal, even though this tournament was not part of the FIFA Days and Lank had no responsibility to release their players.

Mai said that Nhu, in addition to having good skills, was also sociable, so she quickly got along with her teammates. She hopes that Nhu will help open the way for other Vietnamese female players to go abroad.

"Women's football transfers don't generate much money. But it gives players the opportunity to play in a better environment, contributing to the development of Vietnamese women's football. I'm still looking for ways to continue bringing some other Vietnamese female players to Europe, but this needs support from clubs in Vietnam," Mai added.