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Lee Woon-jae, Lee Jung-soo join coaching staff of Vietnam national football team

Published: 11 Mar. 2025, 13:31 Updated: 11 Mar. 2025, 17:51

PAIK JI-HWAN
[email protected]

Former Korean national team goalkeeper Lee Woon-jae, center left, poses with Lee Jung-woo, center right, in a photo shared on the Vietnam Football Federation's official Facebook account on March 10. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Former Korean national team goalkeeper Lee Woon-jae and former teammate Lee Jung-soo have joined the Vietnamese national football team as goalkeeping and assistant coaches, the Vietnam Football Federation announced Monday.

The pair joins fellow countryman Kim Sang-sik, who has led Vietnam as manager since last year.

Lee Woon-jae brings ample experience from his playing days, which includes playing every single minute of Korea's charge to the semifinals of the 2002 World Cup, the country’s best finish in the tournament.

Lee also served as goalkeeping coach after his retirement in 2013, taking up the role with the U-23 Korean national team from 2013 to 2015 and the senior side in 2016.

He went on to add more coaching experience at K League club Suwon Samsung Bluewings and the U-23 Chinese national team before occupying the goalkeeper coaching role at K League 1 giants Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in 2020.

Lee Jung-soo, meanwhile, joins the Vietnamese national team on the back of a long playing career as a defender that saw him feature in the 2010 World Cup and earn 54 caps.

This is the second time he has taken an assistant coaching role in Vietnam after his time at Ho Chi Minh City from 2020 to 2021. Following that stint, he spent time at K League club Suwon FC as an assistant coach from 2021 to 2023.

The addition of the two Korean coaches comes after Vietnam enjoyed some success under Kim’s leadership, which led the country to victory in the Mitsubishi Electric Cup — Southeast Asia’s top tournament — in January.

The Korean coaches will prepare for the upcoming third round of AFC Asian Cup qualification, kicking off later this month, with Vietnam’s first fixture pitting the country against Laos on March 25.

Vietnam will first tune up in a friendly against Cambodia on March 19 before the qualifying round schedule.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [[email protected]]