In January 2012, Trung was released from Hanoi ACB after an internal conflict in where he refused to play for the club in an April V-League match.[citation needed]
Quảng Nam
Trung joined V.League 2 side Quảng Nam in 2013. In his first season with the club, he finished as the league's joint top scorer with 10 goals scored, leading Quảng Nam to win the 2013 V.League 2 and promote to the V.League 1 for the first time in the team's history.[2] He was then named team captain and played a crucial role at helping team won their first V.League 1 title in 2017 in their fourth season at V.League 1. His contribution in Quảng Nam's historic achievement lead him winning the Vietnamese Golden Ball in 2017. He left the club in the end of the 2021 season, after 9 years.[3]
Hồng Lĩnh Hà Tĩnh
In 2022, Trung signed for the club of his hometown Hồng Lĩnh Hà Tĩnh and was appointed as the team captain.[4]
Arrest and sentence
On 4 May 2024, Trung and four other teammates at Hồng Lĩnh Hà Tĩnh were arrested at a hotel in Hà Tĩnh on drug-related charges. The Vietnam Football Federation immediately suspended these players from all football activities and Hồng Lĩnh Hà Tĩnh also removed them from the squad.[5][6] In the trial held on 27 August 2024, the People's Court of Hà Tĩnh sentenced Trung to 4 years and 6 months in prison for organizing illegal use of drugs.[7]