A French-Vietnamese overseas player appears for trials in Vietnam

As part of their attempt to upgrade the team for the second phase of the V.League, Hong Linh Ha Tinh FC is making headlines by giving a chance to a Vietnamese overseas striker active in Europe.

According to the Hong Linh Ha Tinh Fans fanpage, Phi Long Karim Tran plays as a right winger, is right-footed, and stands 1.76 meters tall. Before coming to Vietnam for trials, he played for FC United Richelle, a club competing in the 2de Nationale ACFF, which is the fourth tier in the Belgian football system. This league demands good physical fitness, speed, and strong dueling ability—qualities that perfectly match the energetic playing style that Hong Linh Ha Tinh pursues.

The Central Vietnam club’s decision to offer an opportunity to a Vietnamese overseas player reflects a clear recruitment strategy. Phi Long Karim Tran was born and raised in France, with an Algerian mother and a Vietnamese father. With his European football training background, the 21-year-old is expected to bring fresh energy to Ha Tinh’s attack, which currently lacks creative options on the flanks.

As the V.League becomes increasingly competitive, clubs are compelled to find new talents who possess good technical skills but come at reasonable costs. Vietnamese overseas players trained in European football environments have thus become attractive options. The case of Viktor Le previously demonstrated the ability to integrate quickly and contribute effectively when given the right opportunity. For Phi Long Karim Tran, naturalization in the future is also entirely possible if he meets the legal requirements.

Notably, Hong Linh Ha Tinh’s trial of Karim Tran comes at a time when Vietnamese football is witnessing the emergence of many high-quality Vietnamese overseas talents. Recently, the name Rahni Moreau Nguyen, a central midfielder born in 2007 with Vietnamese-French heritagehas also made a significant impact in Europe playing for Bordeaux B and was invited for trials by Empoli in Serie A.

The appearance of players like Rahni Moreau Nguyen and Phi Long Karim Tran shows that the pool of Vietnamese overseas players is growing both in quantity and quality. This is a positive sign not only for V.League clubs but also for the long-term development strategy of Vietnamese football.