Recent media reports have disclosed details of Kim Sang Sik’s contract as the new head coach of the Vietnam national football team. The contract, running through March 2026, sets specific targets for the coach, including reaching the semifinals of the 2024 AFF Cup, the 2025 SEA Games, and advancing through the U23 Asian Cup 2026 qualifiers.
Coach Kim’s salary is set at approximately $20,000 per month, with an allowance for bringing three assistants to Vietnam. This amount is significantly lower than the speculated “million-dollar” figure circulating on social media and is roughly half of what his predecessor, Park Hang-seo, earned during his tenure. Park brought considerable success to Vietnamese football from 2017 to 2023, achieving notable milestones such as runner-up at the U23 Asian Cup 2018, winning the AFF Cup 2018, and progressing to the third round of World Cup qualifiers in 2022.
Kim Sang Sik was introduced to the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) through DJ Management, the same agency that represented Park Hang-seo. He was selected from over 10 candidates and deemed “suitable for the criteria set by VFF.”
Upon appointment, Kim will immediately begin monitoring Vietnamese professional leagues to scout potential players for the national team. He faces two crucial matches in June, against the Philippines (6/6) and Iraq (12/6) in the World Cup 2026 qualifiers. Vietnam currently sits third in Group F, trailing Indonesia by four points, so advancing is challenging.
Kim, a former central defender, was a regular member of the South Korean national team. In his coaching career, he led Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors to a K-League championship in 2021 and the Korean FA Cup in 2022. He won K-League’s Best Manager award in 2021 and the Korean Football Association’s Manager of the Year in 2022. However, he was dismissed in early 2023 after a poor start to the season, winning only three of 10 matches.
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