Thanh Hoa FC has officially appointed Kim Young-chul as head coach, effective from Round 7 of the V-League 2026-2027. Notably, the South Korean coach previously worked in the coaching staff of the Vietnam U.23 national team under coach Kim Sang-sik .
Before transitioning to coaching, Kim Young-chul played professionally as a central defender and was part of the South Korean national team that participated in the 2006 World Cup. After retiring, he continued his involvement in football as a coach, working at several South Korean clubs such as Seongnam, Gwangju FC, and FC Seoul. In September 2025, Coach Kim Young-chul was invited by Coach Kim Sang-sik to join the coaching staff of the Vietnam U23 team, in preparation for the 2026 U23 Asian Championship qualifiers.
Kim Young-chul (right in the photo) is the new head coach of Thanh Hoa FC.
Photo: VFF
This period gave the South Korean coach the opportunity to familiarize himself with the Vietnamese football environment, understand the characteristics of the players, and learn about the professional organization methods of the national teams.
According to the plan, Kim Young-chul will arrive in Vietnam on November 7th and quickly begin his work at Thanh Hoa FC. If all procedures are completed on schedule, his first match in charge of the Thanh Hoa team will be an away game against The Cong Viettel at Hang Day Stadium on November 8th.
The change in head coach at Thanh Hoa FC stems from the qualification requirements for coaches in the V-League. According to the league's regulations, the head coach must meet the AFC Pro coaching standard. However, Mr. Mai Xuan Hop has not yet met this requirement and therefore cannot continue to hold the position of head coach.