Coach Kim Young-cheol appointed as head coach of Thanh Hoa, Vietnam’s first division professional soccer league.

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Ahn Hong-seok = Coach Kim Young-cheol (50), a former member of the Korean national soccer team, became the head coach of Thanh Hoa FC in the first division of Vietnamese professional soccer.

Thanh Hoa Club announced on the 6th (local time) that it had appointed coach Kim Young-cheol as its new coach.

Coach Kim, who played as a central defender during his playing days, played for teams such as Seongnam Ilhwa and Jeonnam Dragons. He was also selected as a member of the national team and participated in the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany.

After retirement, he gained leadership experience at Seongnam FC, Gwangju FC, and FC Seoul.

In September of last year, he joined the coaching staff of the Vietnam under-23 (U-23) national team led by coach Kim Sang-sik and participated in preparations for the 2026 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-23 Asian Cup preliminaries.

Coach Kim said, “Vietnam soccer is a place I already have a special connection with,” and added, “I experienced first-hand the passion and potential of Vietnamese soccer while working as a coaching staff member of the Vietnam U-23 national team led by coach Kim Sang-sik, and I am very happy to have the opportunity to challenge here again.”