Road to J.League - Doan Van Hau

The ‘Road To J.League’ campaign will run from Jan 2 to Jan 19 which gives you the opportunity to vote for the player you think will most likely make the step up to the best league in Asia.

Vietnam’s rise to become one of the best teams in Southeast Asia in recent years is no coincidence, it is the culmination of careful planning and hard work put into the grassroots development.

One of the many talents that has emerged from this new generation of Golden Stars is Doan Van Hau who, at just 22 years of age, has already garnered plenty of top action football experience under his belt.

Part of the Vietnam side that made it to the finals of the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2017, Doan progressed to be an integral part of the team that finished runner-up at the 2018 AFC U23 Championship in China.

Kieu Trinh Tran

Continuing the pathway, Doan became a firm starter for the senior side under Park Hang-seo that captured the 2018 AFF Championship and played every single game at the 2019 Asian Cup.

With his club side Hanoi FC, Doan lifted the 2018 V.League 1 title after playing 20 games and scoring five goals that season which is an incredible number for someone who is predominantly a left back.

His performances for club and country caught the eye of Dutch side, SC Heerenveen and in September of 2019 he made the year-long loan move to Europe.

Chances would be hard to come by at Heerenveen with only one senior team appearance in the cup but otherwise Doan played quite regularly with the reserves in the Beloften Eredivisie.

Hà Nội Football Club

Injuries robbed Doan of a chance of playing a more significant role for Vietnam in the World Cup 2022 qualification matches but everyone expects the 1.85m player to return stronger and better.

A similar player to Theerathon Bunmanthan, Doan is equally adept at defending as well as bombing forward with his height being a huge advantage in set piece situations so he could well fit J.League sides like Shimizu S-Pulse who has previously used foreign players at full backs position.

Think Doan has what it takes to play in the J.League? Cast your vote here.