The squad had a meeting with Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Ngoc Thien in Ho Chi Minh City before the team’s departure for Thailand on New Year’s Day.

Under the authorisation of PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Ngoc Thien (second from left) presents a bouquet of flowers to captain Nguyen Quang Hai, wishing Vietnam U23s a successful campaign at the 2020 AFC U23 Championship.

Speaking at the meeting, Quang Hai confidently promised: "Vietnam U23s will try to play our best, bringing the Vietnamese spirit and will to the 2020 AFC U23 Championships to achieve our set goal and to make Vietnamese football fans happy."

After finishing second at the 2018 tournament in China, Vietnam have set the goal of making the last three in this year’s continental championship to book a place in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Coach Park Hang-seo’s side are in Group D with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Jordan and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK).

At the event, Minister Thien spent time sharing his thoughts and conveying his remarks on a successful year of Vietnamese sports in general and football in particular. In terms of expertise, he highly praised the success of both the men's and women's football teams, as both Vietnam U22s and the national female team won gold medals in the recent Southeast Asian Games.

The minister also highly appreciated the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) and the coaching staff in preparing for the team before the tournament, urging the VFF to create the best conditions for them during the competition in Thailand. 

Minister Nguyen Ngoc Thien (L) presents New Year gifts to coach Park Hang-seo and all members of Vietnam U23s.

On behalf of the team, head coach Park Hang-seo also responded with his determination: “I am aware that the 2020 AFC U23 Championship holds great significance as it will provide tickets to Tokyo 2020. Fans are looking forward to us achieving our best results. I always spend great effort in trying to not let Vietnamese fans be disappointed. We are determined to get the best results for Vietnamese football,” Park spoke.

Earlier in the day, the squad had their morning training session at Thong Nhat Stadium. They have their last training camp on the field this morning (January 1), before leaving for Thailand in the afternoon.

Park and his players will have 10 days to prepare and get acquainted with the weather in Thailand. They will play a friendly with Bahrain U23s on January 3, before encountering the UAE in their Group D opener on January 10.

Bonuses awarded to Vietnam’s women’s football team over SEA Games triumph

A meeting was held at the headquarters of the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) in Hanoi on December 16 to present bonuses from units and individuals to the Vietnam women’s national football team following their triumph at the recent 30th SEA Games in the Philippines.

Four Vietnamese footballers named in Best 11 of SEA Games 30

Four Vietnamese footballers have been named among the best talent at the 30th Southeast Asian Games by the prestigious website foxsportsasia.com.

PM praises success of men’s and women’s football teams at SEA Games

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc lavished praise on the men's and women’s football teams after their resounding success in the finals of the SEA Games against Indonesia and Thailand at the Government Office on December 11.

SEA Games 30: Vietnam win long-awaited gold in men’s football

Vietnam won the first-ever Southeast Asian (SEA) Games gold medal after defeating their Indonesian rivals 3-0 in the final match in the Philippines on December 10.

Vietnam Airlines to increase flights to Philippines for football fans

National flag carrier Vietnam Airlines announced on December 7 that it will have six more flights to Manila on December 10 to serve football fans, who want to watch the finals of SEA Games 30's men football between Vietnam and Indonesia.

Source: NDO