On Monday 10 April 2023, Japan Football Association (JFA) and Deloitte Tohmatsu Financial Advisory LLC (DTFA), a supporter of the JFA Youth & Development Programme (JYD), jointly organised a football exchange programme in Hanoi, Vietnam, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and Vietnam. The event was held with the support of the Embassy of Japan in Vietnam, the Japan Foundation Centre for Cultural Exchange in Vietnam, and the Japan Professional Football League.

H.E. Mr. YAMADA Takio, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Vietnam, and Mr. DUONG Nghiep Khoi, General Secretary of the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF), delivered speeches to open the event, which was followed by a coaching seminar held by Mr. ONO Takeshi, JFA Deputy Technical Director, and Mr. KAWAMATA Noriyuki, JFA Goalkeeper Project Leader. A lecture on the theme of “Frontline of world football” was held in the morning, and in the afternoon, a practical coaching session was held with the players of the U-17 Vietnam Women's National Team, who are led by JFA overseas dispatched coach Mr. IJIRI Akira, followed by a discussion session with football coaches in Vietnam.

Lecturer's Comment

ONO Takeshi, JFA Deputy Technical Director
I am very pleased that we were able to conduct this football exchange programme between JFA and VFF as part of the events to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and Vietnam. In the morning, Mr. KAWAMATA Noriyuki (Goalkeeper Project Leader) and I gave a lecture on the theme “Frontline of world football - What we need to learn ahead of the next generation.” Focusing on the topics discussed in the lecture, we held a training session for the players of the U-17 Vietnam Women's National Team with the support of Mr. IJIRI Akira, Head of Women's Football and Head Coach of Youth Women's National Teams (JFA Overseas dispatched coach), in the afternoon. In addition, a coaching seminar took place in the form of a discussion with coaches who observed the training session.

The first thing that impressed me was how the players voluntarily participated in the morning session held for the coaches, and how willing they were to share their opinions. Inspired by the players, the coaches were also very active in sharing their thoughts, contributing to a very lively and interactive session. The players continued to show great enthusiasm in the afternoon training session, and it felt like I learned a lot from their desire to absorb everything and their willingness to take on challenges without the fear of failure. The coaches also seemed to find it interesting to observe how they could foster a lively atmosphere and how the coaching team could work together to build training menus that required the involvement of goalkeepers.

We felt a tremendous degree of anticipation towards Japan football from the discussions we had with the VFF officials thereafter, particularly in regard to youth development and coach training. We received many requests for the future, and although we are unsure of how many of these requests we will be able to fulfil, we hope to cherish this wonderful “bond” in the years to come. We would like to thank all those who have contributed to making this exchange possible.

Participant’s Comment

TRAN Duc Toan, Participating Coach
It was a great learning experience for me to attend the lectures and practical training sessions with the players of the U-17 Vietnam Women's National Team and other coaches from Vietnam. I have learned a lot from my experience working with Mr. ADACHI Yusuke (former VFF Technical Director) and Mr. IJIRI for two years, and from today’s coaching seminar held by Mr. ONO and Mr. KAWAMATA. It allowed us to understand how Japan is working with a long-term vision to achieve their goal of winning the World Cup. As Mr. ONO mentioned, I felt that in order for football to prosper in Vietnam, we must first have the passion to “have fun and be happy.” Last but not least, I would like to thank DTFA, JFA, and VFF for organising this event, and all the participating coaches and players. It was a pleasure being here today. Thank you very much.

Player’s Comment

NGUYEN Ngo Thao Nguyen, U-17 Vietnam Women's National Team
As a player of the U-17 Vietnam Women's National Team, I would like to thank JFA and DTFA for organising this workshop on “Implications for Vietnamese football from the frontline of world football as seen in the World Cup.” As Mr. ONO and Mr. KAWAMATA mentioned, the lecture and practical training session served as a timely reminder that we need to face football in the light of the progress that will be made in the next 5-10 years. We will continue to train hard under coach IJIRI to make Vietnamese women's football stronger. I hope that the football exchange between Vietnam and Japan will be deepened and contribute to the growth of the game in both countries. Thank you very much.