Kim Sang Sik, Vietnam National Team Coach: K-League profile is super impressive, surpassing Park Hang-seo?

On May 3, 2024, the Vietnam Football Federation ( VFF) announced that coach Kim Sang Sik will take on the role of captain of the Vietnam national team and the U23 team. Let's find out basic biographical information about coach Kim Sang Sik, what are his outstanding achievements and titles .

Kim Sang Sik was born on December 17, 1976, 1m85 tall, is a former South Korean football player and coach, currently the head coach of the Vietnam National Team. During his playing career, Kim Sang Sik played for the South Korean national team as a center back or defensive midfielder.

On December 22, 2020, Kim was appointed as head coach of Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors. He and Jeonbuk won the 2021 K League 1 championship and the 2022 Korean FA Cup.

On May 4, 2023, Kim resigned as head coach of Jeonbuk. On May 3, 2024, Kim was officially appointed as head coach of the Vietnam national football team and the Vietnam national U23 football team. He led the Vietnam team to win the 2024 ASEAN Cup.

As a player, Mr. Kim Sang Sik spent the longest time with 2 clubs: Seongnam (1999-2008) and Jeonbuk (2009-2013). While still playing, Kim Sang Sik was one of the top central defenders and defensive midfielders in the K-League.

During his 9 years playing for Seongnam, Kim Sang Sik was a teammate of Shin Tae Yong - head coach of the Indonesian national team. Together, he and Shin Tae Yong won 5 titles including 2 K-League 1 championships (2002, 2003), the Korean FA Cup (1999), the League Cup (2002) and the Korean Super Cup (2002).

Kim Sang Sik was first called up to the Korean national team in 2000 and was coached by coach Park Hang Seo himself. At that time, the former head coach of the Vietnamese national team was acting as the interim coach of Korea.

Kim Sang Sik was named by coach Park Hang Seo to the "big battle" squad against Japan in 2000. In addition, in the Korean team, Kim Sang Sik is very close to his junior Park Ji Sung.

After retiring, the first and only team coach Kim Sang Sik has led to date is Jeonbuk. In his first season in 2021, Kim helped Jeonbuk win the K-League, qualify for the 2022 AFC Champions League and reach the semi-finals of the tournament.

Also in 2022, Jeonbuk won the Korean FA Cup. In 2023, Kim only led Jeonbuk in 10 matches and did not achieve positive results, so he had to leave. Since then, this coach has not led any team. Thus, including playing and coaching, Kim has played 378 matches in the K-League and 59 matches for the Korean national team.

Having played as a defender, Coach Kim Sang Sik always emphasizes a defensive style of play, just like Coach Park Hang Seo. The Korean press believes that Kim's decision to come to Vietnam was greatly influenced by the success of Coach Park Hang Seo and Shin Tae Yong.

There is a coincidence between Coach Kim and Mr. Park that both have never led any national team until coming to work in Vietnam. Both Korean coaches are also highly appreciated for their ability to inspire, and are loved and respected by the players.

In addition, Coach Kim is young and can keep up with the trends of modern football. In addition, this coach has only been out of work for about a year. At noon on May 3, 2025, the Vietnam Football Federation and Mr. Kim Sang Sik reached consensus and agreement on the contents related to the position of Head Coach of the Vietnam National Men's National Team and the Vietnam National U23 National Team, in a 2-year contract.

The first task for the new Korean head coach is to lead the Vietnam National Team to participate in the remaining two matches in the second qualifying round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Asia, respectively against the Philippines at home on June 6 and against Iraq away on June 11.

For the Vietnam National U23 Team, Coach Kim Sang Sik will also be given the best conditions to prepare for the 2026 U23 Asian Qualifiers scheduled to take place in September 2025 and then the 33rd SEA Games in Thailand in December 2025. In recent days, the strategist born in 1976 has been in Vietnam to negotiate the contract.

Coach Kim Sang Sik is trusted and expected to work with the Vietnam National Team and the Vietnam U23 National Team to successfully achieve the goals set for Vietnamese football in the coming time. Mr. Kim Sang Sik also expressed his hope that with the cultural similarities and good relations between Vietnam and Korea, he will receive the encouragement of Vietnamese fans and the support of the media.

At the 2024 ASEAN Cup, Kim Sang Sik led the Vietnamese team to win the championship with an unbeaten record (7 wins and 1 draw). This is his first title as head coach of the Vietnamese team, and also his first title as head coach of a national team.

Duy Manh represented the Vietnamese national team to return the favor after winning the championship, worthy of being the captain. Gia Nhi09:06:21 14/01/2025After winning the championship at the ASEAN Cup 2024 with the Vietnamese team, Captain Do Duy Manh returned home and immediately went to the temple to report his achievements. His thoughtful images at the temples made fans feel grateful and highly appreciated.