South Korean club sign Vietnamese forward

“We have signed the Vietnam national forward Nguyen Van Toan as a foreign player from Southeast Asia,” Seoul announced on social media.

Toan said in his introduction video: “I will play for the club in the 2023 season. See you all in Seoul.”

Nguyen Van Toan is introduced as a new member of Seoul E-Land. Photo courtesy of Seoul E-Land

After the 2022 season, Toan’s contract with Vietnamese club HAGL expired. He negotiated and reached an agreement with Seoul in December, but the club only announced the deal after HAGL announced Toan’s departure. The 26-year-old will play for Seoul on a two-year contract.

Before Toan, three Vietnamese players have signed for South Korean clubs. Midfielder Luong Xuan Truong joined Incheon United in 2016 and Gangwon FC in 2017, forward Nguyen Cong Phuong joined Incheon United in 2019, while Nguyen Huu Khoi played for Siheung City FC in the semi-pro K3 League Basic.

Seoul E-Land are playing in the South Korean second division K League 2. The team have just appointed head coach Park Choong-kyun, who managed Hanoi FC in the second half of 2021 and parted ways before the 2022 season kicked off. Seoul E-Land was established in 2014 and its home stadium Mokdong has a capacity of 15,511.

Toan graduated from the HAGL Arsenal JMG Academy. In 2015, he was promoted to the first squad of HAGL and has become a regular on the Vietnam U19, U23 and national football team. He is well-known for his pacing.

Toan did not perform well at the club level, only winning the bronze medal in the 2022 National Cup playing for HAGL. However, he was a member of the national team that won the 2018 AFF Cup.