"He recently arrived in Vietnam to assess the situation at the club," Thanh Hoa CEO Cao Hoang Duc said this afternoon. "The two sides haven't signed a contract yet."

Born in 1981, Choi played for South Korea in the 2004 Athens Olympics and for South Korean clubs such as FC Seoul, Gwangju, Jeju United, Gyeongju, and Daegu FC. His coaching career began as an assistant at Daegu FC in 2016, before becoming head coach from 11/2022 to 4/2024.

Assistant coach Choi Won-kwon (right) during Vietnam's 5-0 victory over Myanmar in the final match of Group B of the 2024 ASEAN Cup, at Viet Tri Stadium, Phu Tho on 21/12/2024. Photo: Hieu Luong

Assistant coach Choi Won-kwon (right) during Vietnam's 5-0 victory over Myanmar in the final match of Group B of the 2024 ASEAN Cup, at Viet Tri Stadium, Phu Tho on 21/12/2024. Photo: Hieu Luong

In 5/2024, Choi became the top assistant to coach Kim Sang-sik for the Vietnam national team. The two, alumni of Daegu University, won the 2024 ASEAN Cup together. However, Choi resigned after the tournament due to family matters in South Korea and has been out of football for six months.

Thanh Hoa is seeking a new coach after parting ways with Tomislav Steinbruckner. The 1966-born coach took over in March, replacing Velizar Popov. In 10 matches under Steinbruckner, Thanh Hoa won one, drew two, and lost seven, finishing 8th in the 2024-2025 V-League. The Croatian coach offered his resignation after a 2-1 loss to Hai Phong in round 23 on 16/5. However, Thanh Hoa's management convinced him to stay until the end of the season.

The club accepted the poor results due to injuries and several players' declining form. The difficult transition and Steinbruckner's perceived gentle nature led to the mutual decision to part ways.

Despite limited resources, Thanh Hoa enjoyed a successful period under coach Velizar Popov, winning two National Cups (2023, 2023-2024) and the 2023 National Super Cup. However, even the Bulgarian coach couldn't consistently overcome the lack of squad depth. After 10 winless matches at the start of 2025, Popov left Thanh Hoa and joined The Cong at the end of the season.

In addition to the coach, the club also parted ways with several players, including the foreign trio of Gustavo Santos, Luiz Antonio, and Lucas Ribamar. Several domestic players also departed, such as midfielder A Mit (to Nam Dinh), Nguyen Trong Hung (Binh Duong), and central defender Nguyen Thanh Long (Cong An Ha Noi).

Thanh Hoa has not made any notable signings. They are likely to focus on young players, with promising prospects like Le Van Thuan and Nguyen Ngoc My.

Thanh Hoa is the 4th team to change coaches before the 2025-2026 V-League season. Newly promoted Ninh Binh parted ways with coach Nguyen Viet Thang to sign Spanish coach Gerard Albadalejo. Ha Tinh replaced coach Nguyen Thanh Cong with Nguyen Cong Manh. Coach Phung Thanh Phuong left TP HCM FC, but the team has not announced a replacement.

Hieu Luong