The naturalisation of foreign-born players has been a common occurrence in football for some time now, especially within Southeast Asia.
Vietnam are no different but, until recently, they have not naturalised as many, or enjoyed as much success with their "imports", as some of their regional rivals.
When Brazilian-born striker Rafaelson -- who now also goes by the Vietnamese name Nguyễn Xuân Son -- opened his international account in 2024, he became the first naturalised player to score for Vietnam.
Only four preceded him but since he became a key figure for his new national team, Hêndrio and Geovane Magno -- or Đỗ Hoàng Hên and Nguyễn Tài Lộc respectively -- have followed suit in renouncing their Brazilian citizenship to represent Vietnam.
Then, there is also the heritage contingent of players born overseas but holding Vietnamese ethnicity. Intriguingly, Vietnam have enjoyed plenty of success on this front in the goalkeeper position, with Đặng Văn Lâm, Nguyễn Filip and current No. 1 Lê Giang Patrik all having held the first-choice spot at various times.
Going down the naturalisation or heritage route is a fair way to strengthen a squad but it can have repercussions for a national team's long-term future. At the end of the day, developing local talent remains a key factor in the bigger picture.
That is where Vietnam seem to still have the right balance.
Bolstering their ranks with foreign-born stars has not come at the cost of stymieing the development of their homegrown products.
At least not based on the current evidence, with 21-year-old Nguyễn Đình Bắc currently leading the scoring at the 2026 ASEAN Championship and playing a key role behind Vietnam's quest to successfully defend their regional crown for the first time.
The past decade being something of a glorious era for Vietnamese football, which has -- since 2018 -- included two ASEAN crowns, a quarterfinal appearance at the AFC Asian Cup, two top-three finishes at the AFC U23 Asian Cup, three Southeast Asian Games gold medals and a fourth-placed finish at the Asian Games. They were also the only Southeast Asian team to reach the third and final round of Asian qualifiers for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
It coincided with the emergence of their golden generation -- led by current captain Nguyễn Quang Hải -- but, with that talented cohort now in the autumn of their careers, the time is ripe for the next wave to come through.
Đình Bắc has been Vietnam's shiniest gem since he made his senior international debut in 2023. He has already featured at the Asian Cup -- scoring against continental powerhouses Japan, no less -- and has already lifted plenty of silverware at club level with Công An Hà Nội, as well as with the Vietnam U23s.
Having missed out on Vietnam's ASEAN triumph two years ago, he is looking every bit a young man on a mission to ensure he gets to taste glory in 2026.
Also capable of leading the line, Đình Bắc arguably plays his best football as a wide attacker that routinely makes his way into a central position, especially when Vietnam's wingbacks bomb forward on the overlap. This system has led to him being the tournament's current top scorer following a hat-trick against Timor-Leste and two goals against Cambodia.
Yet, he is far from the finished article -- and that is only natural given his relative youth. It must be noted that Đình Bắc failed to score in Vietnam's two tougher games, at least on paper, in the group stage.
He even suffered the ignominy of being substituted in the first half in the 0-0 draw with Singapore. Vietnam coach Kim Sang-Sik had already been frustrated with his display and was seen giving him plenty of instructions by the touchline, only to eventually haul him off in the 41st minute.
It is a sign of Kim's belief in his young protégé that he still started him in their next game against Indonesia as they bounced back with an impressive 3-0 away win, and as the main striker with Rafaelson given a rest.
And it is also testament to Đình Bắc's character that he was not disheartened by one disappointing outing and, although he did not score against the Indonesians, would go one to net a pivotal brace in the semifinal-sealing win over Cambodia -- including a brilliant individual effort to open the scoring.
Đình Bắc will continue to play an important role in Vietnam's hunt for a fourth regional crown, which continues on Sunday in the first leg of the semifinals against Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur.
He is merely one of many that prove that, while Vietnam are happy to reap the benefits of naturalisation, it will not compromise their homegrown players.
Midfield general Nguyễn Hoàng Đức is another candidate for the tournament's Most Valuable Player award and has possibly overtaken Quang Hải as Vietnam's playmaker-in-chief. Nguyễn Thành Chung is almost an immovable pillar as the anchor of the three-man defence, while Nguyễn Văn Vĩ has been a revelation on the left. Like Đình Bắc, Nguyễn Hai Long also provides plenty of excitement in the attacking third, even if he has had to make the most of limited opportunites at the tournament.
Perhaps the key to succeeding with naturalisation is finding the perfect balance.
Singapore enjoyed plenty of success with it in the 2000s but, once they decided to move away from that path, suffered a noticeable decline. Indonesia, who have heavily gone down the heritage route, struggle to maintain the same level of performance when their Europe-based contingent are not available -- like at the current tournament where they suffered a disappointing group-stage exit.
For now, Vietnam seem to have found the right mix -- and that is why they still loom as the team to beat at the 2026 ASEAN Championship.
It certainly helps to have an outstanding young talent like Đình Bắc breaking through.