Hanoi (VNA) – For many years, football has been a distinctive cultural feature among ethnic minority women at festivals and community activities. More recently, official tournaments have been organised more frequently, giving female players from villages more opportunity to step onto the pitch, showcase their abilities and genuinely attract the attention of football professionals.
The story, therefore, is no longer simply about creating a playing field, but about how talented female players can move closer to the elite football environment.
Distinctive features of ethnic minority women’s football
Women’s football movements in local communities have been quietly growing, but they’ve now built up enough momentum to inspire organisers to launch the first Vietnam Ethnic Minority Women’s Football – VTV Cup in 2026.
Held from August 23-29 at Nghia Lo Stadium in Lao Cai province, the tournament brought together 12 teams from nine localities across the country. Following a series of matches that produced unexpectedly high levels of technical quality, the final ended with a 2-1 victory for hosts Luc Yen of Lao Cai over the surprise package Dak Doa of Gia Lai province.
Behind the goals and titles lies a very different story about the women who made the tournament possible. Some are accustomed to working in the fields, some are studying or working, while many others have had to rearrange their family responsibilities to make time for training. The Dak Doa team even featured a mother and daughter playing together.
Football did not come to them through academies or professional training centres, but began on local pitches and grew from their love of the sport.
A once-unthinkable professional dream
Naturally, a tournament like the VTV Cup cannot immediately turn grassroots players into professionals. However, bringing together teams from different localities has created a broader competitive environment in which the abilities of female players can be assessed.
For many amateur players, their initial exposure to professional training routines has also brought significant changes to the way they think about and play football.
Following the tournament, a number of outstanding individuals unexpectedly received high praise from football professionals. Luc Yen player Le Thuy Linh was named Best Young Player, while her teammate Hoang Thi Thanh Lam was honoured as Best Goalkeeper.
Thuon of Dak Doa was named Best Player of the tournament. In attack, Dak Doa's Bloi and Quan Thi Thuy Tien of Lam Binh in Tuyen Quang province shared the top scorer award.
Coach Mai Duc Chung said he had observed the players taking part in the tournament and would recommend promising talents to professional women's football.
Impressed by the team's technical ability, the Hoang Anh Gia Lai sports JSC submitted a proposal to take over, manage, and train the Dak Doa women's football team, with the goal of competing in the Vietnam women's national football championship in 2027. This is a positive signal for a possible transition from grassroots football to the professional environment.
However, the gap between a team that has just competed at a grassroots tournament and a squad capable of participating in Vietnam's top women's football competition remains considerable.
The 14 Dak Doa players, accustomed to seven-a-side matches, will have to adapt to the 11-a-side format. They will also face major changes in training intensity, technical and tactical requirements, as well as the lifestyle expected of professional athletes.
From casual football matches during festival celebrations to the VTV Cup that brought together teams from various regions, women's football in ethnic minority communities has truly showcased an impressive journey of growth.
This also shows that professional football does not only seek talent in places where training centres are already established. Pitches in highland areas and community tournaments held far from major centres can also become important sources of new talent, particularly for women's football, which still has considerable potential in Vietnam./.
