Văn Lâm began his career with Hoàng Anh Gia Lai, but after early promise he was loaned out to the sister team in Laos and his progress stalled. Văn Lâm then returned to his birthplace to join teams in the lower divisions of Russian football, and in 2015 he rejoined VietnamHải Phòng. After failing to get a game his first season he became a starter for the 2016 season and earned a surprise call up shortly after for the national team by coach Toshiya Miura. Văn Lâm's greatest strength is his height and his arm span is nearly two meters, but he is hampered by slow reflexes and hesitancy to rush off his line. His u-19 coach Triệu Quang Hà said that Văn Lâm has potential but he has to improve his game if he wishes to play regularly. In September 2017, after an incident with Sỹ Mạnh, one of the club's staffs, and other defenders in Hải Phòng, Văn Lâm left and returned to Russia. The contract lasted for a year before he returned to the club. On 7 June 2019, Thai League 1 club Muangthong United announced that Van Lam had signed a three-year contract.
International career
He began to play for Vietnam's national team in 2015 as Vietnam was seeking players of Vietnamese descent abroad. Together with Czech-born Mạc Hồng Quân, he is one of two prominent overseas Vietnamese players selected to the national team. In June 2017, he made his debut on the 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualification against Jordan at Hồ Chí Minh City, where his ability helped to keep a clean sheet as the match ended 0–0. He was praised for his skills. However, it was not until the 2018 AFF Championship that his potential had earned him reputation, helping Vietnam to conquer Southeast Asia after ten years from their maiden title. During the round of 16 of the 2019 AFC Asian Cup, once again facing against Jordan, he made a crucial save against Ahmed Samir on the penalty shootout after 120 minutes of game time to help Vietnam qualify for the quarter-finals. He became instrumental in Vietnam's current 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification 2nd round where he produced a strong performance, including a phenomenon foot-like penalty save in Vietnam's crucial game against rival Thailand at home which has been compared to Igor Akinfeev's penalty save against Spain in 2018 FIFA World Cup due to similar save.
Personal life
Đặng Văn Lâm was born in Moscow to a Vietnamese father Đặng Văn Sơn and a Russian mother Olga Zhukova. Both his dad and his mom were involved in performing arts, with his mother being a former ballet dancer. He also has two siblings, a younger brother and a younger sister. His Russian name, Lev, is contributed to his mother's passionate admiration to the legend Soviet goalkeeper Lev Yashin, whom himself also admired. Although greatly influenced by family's artistic involvement, he chose to follow football instead. He is known for his good singing voice. He can speak three languages, Vietnamese, Russian and English. He's an Orthodox Christian, often prayed in the cross as a sign of his belief, making him the first Vietnamese Orthodox Christian footballer in the national team. He typically salutes the national team in the style of Artem Dzyuba, who is also an idol for Đặng Văn Lâm himself.
