Vietnamese forward off to good start with South Korean club

Toan started in this friendly match against Incheon United and soon made an impact in the 13th minute with an assist for striker Ronan David to open the scoring. Incheon equalized five minutes later, but David secured the 2-1 win for Seoul with another goal in the 66th minute.

Incheon used to have two Vietnamese footballers, Nguyen Cong Phuong and Luong Xuan Truong, who are also Toan’s former teammates at V. League club HAGL. In K-League 1 last season, Incheon finished fourth.

Toan will wear the number nine jersey in Seoul when he starts the new K-League 2 season with the club on March 1.

Nguyen Van Toan during a training session with Seoul E-Land. Photo courtesy of Nguyen Van Toan Instagram

This is not the first time a Vietnamese player has helped a goal in South Korea. Phuong did this in 2019 when he got an assist and a goal for Incheon in a friendly.

Toan played 177 games in the V. League from 2015-2022, scoring 46 goals. He signed with Seoul as a free agent in early 2023, after his contract with HAGL expired. He will be one of the five Southeast Asian players in K-League 2 this season.

The 26-year-old is one of the five new players for Seoul this season, along with Ronald David, Renan, Bruno Oliveira and Tsubasa Nishi.