Vietnamese football sees tremendous progress during Park Hang-seo’s tenure

This comes after the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) announced on October 17 that coach Park will no longer be in charge of the national team following the upcoming AFF Cup 2022, with his existing contract with the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) expiring in January, 2023.

Following the announcement the AFC have published an article reviewing coach Park’s achievements for Vietnamese football.

“The 65-year-old has played a massive role in Vietnam’s rise, beginning with the 2018 AFC U23 Championship - now known as the AFC U23 Asian Cup - where he led the squad to a runners-up finish,” the AFC wrote.

Most notably, the core of the U23 squad which progressed to the senior team went on to lift their second AFF Cup in 2018 before reaching the quarter-finals of the 2019 AFC Asian Cup in the UAE. 

Furthermore, the nation side won a gold medal at the SEA Games both in 2019 and 2021, while Vietnam advanced to the final round of Asian Qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup for the first time in their history, going up against the continent’s best in qualification for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the AFC noted. 

The AFC have been especially impressed with the way coach Park has said farewell to Vietnamese football.

“I understand the extent of love and support I received during my time in Vietnam,” said coach Park, “Although I am leaving my position, I will continue to dedicate myself to returning your support in the near future.”

“When I was appointed in 2017, I shared my desire to bridge the relationship between the Republic of Korea and Vietnam in every aspect of life, including football. This desire still remains deeply within me, and I will continue to have a role in establishing the two nations’ friendship,” he concluded.