Đoàn Văn Hậu

Đoàn Văn Hậu was born on April 19, 1999, in Hưng Hà, Thái Bình, Vietnam. He began his football journey at a young age, joining the Hà Nội T&T youth training center at 11, despite having no prior family involvement in professional sports. His talent was recognized early, particularly his strong left foot, powerful shots, and versatility as both a left-back and central defender. By age 13, he had joined the U-15 Hà Nội T&T team. His youth career with Hà Nội T&T saw him achieve notable success, including winning the U-19 National Championship in 2016 and 2017, and the U-21 National Championship in 2016.

In 2017, at just 18 years old, Đoàn Văn Hậu was promoted to the Hà Nội FC senior team, making his debut in the AFC Champions League and becoming the youngest player from Hà Nội to feature in the V.League 1. His impressive performances led to him being called up to the Vietnam national team the same year, making him the youngest player in the squad. A significant career turning point came in September 2019 when he moved to Dutch Eredivisie club SC Heerenveen on a season-long loan. Although his time there was brief, with only one official first-team appearance in the KNVB Cup, he gained valuable international experience and became the first Vietnamese player to play in the Netherlands. He returned to Hà Nội FC in August 2020.

After a successful period with Hà Nội FC, which included multiple V.League 1 titles (2018, 2019, 2022), Vietnamese National Cups (2020, 2022), and Vietnamese Super Cups (2019, 2021), Đoàn Văn Hậu transferred to Công an Hà Nội in 2023. With Công an Hà Nội, he secured another V.League 1 title in 2023. On the international stage, he was instrumental in Vietnam’s success, including a gold medal at the SEA Games in 2019, a runner-up finish at the 2018 AFC U-23 Championship, and winning the AFF Championship in 2018. His individual accolades include being named AFF Youth Player of the Year in 2017 and Youth Vietnamese Player of the Year in 2017, 2018, and 2019.