The Vietnamese women's team is focusing on the 2023 World Cup, where coach Mai Duc Chung and his team will face strong opponents such as the United States (reigning champions), the Netherlands (reigning runners-up) and Portugal. Mr. Jere Longman, a veteran reporter for the famous newspaper The New York Times (USA), was in Vietnam to learn about women's football here. Thanh Nien Newspaper reporter had a conversation with Mr. Longman to learn about the American perspective on Vietnamese women's football, as well as the excitement of American fans when the two women's teams of the United States and Vietnam will face each other in the opening match of the 2023 World Cup.
- You are here to watch the Vietnamese women's team practice. Was that your plan before coming here, or was it a sudden decision when you were already in Vietnam?
Reporter Jere Longman: I have been a sports reporter for The New York Times for the past 30 years. I have also followed women's soccer for about 20 years. The 2023 World Cup in July will be the 6th women's soccer finals that I have come to work and report on. I noticed that there are some new teams in this tournament, including the Vietnam women's team. Therefore, I wanted to come here to learn because I know that the Vietnam women's team has become a strong team, passing the World Cup qualifiers.
Reporter Jere Longman, in charge of sports for the famous daily newspaper The New York Times
Thanh Nien Newspaper reporter interacts with The New York Times reporter
- When the draw of luck put the US women's team in the same group as Vietnam, how did American experts and public opinion react?
Reporter Jere Longman: Everyone in the US finds this draw very interesting, because there are similarities between women's soccer in the US and Vietnam in the past. In the US many years ago, people thought that women should not play soccer. Then, the US began to develop women's soccer. Gradually, with investment resources, the way society views female soccer players in the US,... women's soccer here has changed in a positive direction.
I think these things are happening in Vietnam too. In the past, it was not easy for women in Vietnam to play football. Then, the players gradually overcame the difficulties and became more and more recognized. When Vietnamese women's football was recognized, in addition to investment resources and sponsor rewards, the Vietnamese women's team improved its performance significantly. I have watched some of Vietnam's matches on video, but of course I have not been able to watch them live.
- What does participating in the World Cup mean to women's football teams that are just starting to expand into the big world like Vietnam?
Reporter Jere Longman: Being able to participate in the World Cup is an honor for any national team in the world. For the Vietnamese women's team, participating in the World Cup is an opportunity to learn many things. The draw put Vietnam in the same group with the United States and the Netherlands, the two teams that played in the final match of the 2019 World Cup. It was a very harsh and difficult draw. However, this is an opportunity to learn from many different perspectives.
For example, the Vietnamese women's team has Huynh Nhu playing in Portugal. I believe that playing in another country, being exposed to other philosophies and playing styles, will help Huynh Nhu learn about psychology, competitive spirit, and tactics. Similarly, facing powerful football nations at the 2023 World Cup will help the Vietnamese women's team improve in many aspects, from spirit, technical and tactical skills to create momentum for further progress in the future.
Vietnam women's team excellently won the 32nd SEA Games
Looking back, they can be proud that they did not play against ordinary teams, but were able to compete on equal terms with World Cup-class teams like the US and the Netherlands. That was the launching pad for the growth of Vietnamese women's football. These results will convince leaders and sports managers to invest more in the Vietnamese women's team to aim for a further goal, not just to participate in the World Cup.
- In the US, girls' school soccer is thriving. Players are also encouraged and given the opportunity to play by their families and schools. But in Vietnam, although women's soccer has progressed, there are still invisible barriers that, if overcome, we can achieve even greater results...
Reporter Jere Longman: The US and Vietnam have two different ways of doing sports. Actually, that is not only a difference between the US and Vietnam, but also between the US and other countries. In many other football countries, the focus and support for sports development lies in the club.
In the US, we build sports on the foundation of schools. In schools, we have diverse sports activities, from which students can practice sports from high school to college and graduate school. When participating in sports clubs in schools, players enjoy the same benefits as professional athletes in other professional clubs. They are sold images, have a treatment regime, ... that is very necessary support.
The US women's team has won the World Cup four times.
Of course, this foundation did not come out of nowhere. We had to pass a law that created equality for women in sports. There is such a law in the United States. You cannot do anything that would negatively affect the potential of women in American sports. With this legal framework, things happen. However, soccer in the United States is not the number one sport, it is probably the fourth or fifth.
In Vietnam, football is the number one sport, and has been given more opportunities to develop through the club system. However, school football is not yet popular. Each side has its own advantages and disadvantages. But in my opinion, the good results of the Vietnamese women's team will be proof for sports managers in general and football in particular to invest in order to achieve better results.
- Vietnamese women's football has only had 2 cases of going abroad, which are Tran Thi Hong Nhung (who went to Thailand to play for Chonburi Women's Club) in the past and Huynh Nhu currently. Do you believe that Vietnamese women's football players will go abroad more in the future, such as playing in the US for example?
Reporter Jere Longman: Of course, why not? In the US, we have a very diverse soccer competition system with many different divisions, developed over the past 20 years. Many Asian players from China, Japan, Korea have come here to play. They can do it, why can't Vietnamese players?
- Thank you for the chat!
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