[News Figures] Park Hang-seo, Marks 5-Year Journey with Vietnam

Leading Vietnam National Team Only Until December Mitsubishi Cup
Driving Southeast Asian Games 2 Consecutive Wins, WC Asian Final Qualifiers, and More
"I Will Continue to Serve as a Bridge Between Korea and Vietnam"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Park Hang-seo, the head coach of the Vietnam national football team, is stepping down after five years.

The Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) announced on the 17th that they have agreed not to renew Park's contract, which expires on January 31 next year. Park will lead the Vietnam team only until the 2022 ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Championship (Mitsubishi Cup, formerly Suzuki Cup) held on December 20. He handed over the U-23 team leadership to coach Cong Nguyen last year.

Park took charge of both the Vietnam A team and the under-23 (U-23) team simultaneously in October 2017 and achieved remarkable progress. Starting with the runner-up position at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-23 Championship, he led the team to the semifinals of the Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games, won the Suzuki Cup (both in 2018), secured back-to-back Southeast Asian (SEA) Games titles (2019 and 2021), and reached the quarterfinals of the AFC Asian Cup. He also led Vietnam to the Asian final qualifiers for the (Qatar) World Cup for the first time in history.

Amid the 'Park Hang-seo Magic' craze, Vietnam entered the top 100 in the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) rankings on November 19, 2018. They currently maintain their position at 96th, remaining within the top 100. Vietnam is the only Southeast Asian country to have stayed in the top 100 for such a long period.

The VFF stated, "This achievement is the result of all coaches and players uniting and showing determination based on Coach Park's responsibility and professionalism," adding, "His dedication will be a great motivation for Vietnamese football to pursue even higher goals in the future."

Coach Park said, "The past five years will undoubtedly remain unforgettable memories in my football career," and added, "There were times when results were good and times when they were not, but thanks to the unlimited support and encouragement from the players, VFF, and the Vietnamese people, I was able to complete my mission well."

He continued, "When I took office, I promised to try to serve as a bridge not only in football but also between Korea and Vietnam. If the relationship between the two countries can improve through me, I will do my best to continue to be of help in the future."