The Vietnam national team is in full swing to prepare for the upcoming World Preliminary 12 tournament. In a recent team gathering, South Korean coach Park Hang-suk once again conveyed to his players a strong desire to beat China and vowed to surpass Thailand's results in past Top 12 matches. In an interview with Vietnamese journalists, new captain Do Hung Dung revealed that they plan to present a "surprise" to Vietnamese people on February 1, the occasion of the Lunar New Year.
Since the training session on January 13, the Vietnam national team has maintained a normal training rhythm. Although three players diagnosed with the new crown, Nguyen Hoang Duc and Nguyen Van Quan, have returned to the team, Nguyen Chin Linh is still in quarantine and will probably not be able to take part in the away match against Australia. According to the arrangement, the Vietnamese team will hold an internal match on the 20th, after which Park Hang-soo will announce the final 23-player squad for the trip to Australia, of which seven will fail to make the initial 30-player roster, while two temporary additions will also be confirmed not to travel with the team. The team will leave for Melbourne, Australia on a commercial flight that evening.
According to Vietnamese media, Park Hang-su made it clear again in the team meeting on the 18th that he wants his team to beat China and surpass Thailand in the second round of home matches. He said, "In the first round, we lost to China 2-3, which put me and the whole team under a lot of pressure and the atmosphere within the team became tense. The second round will be played at our home ground, which Vietnamese fans are looking forward to, and we will face even more pressure. Especially, this match will also be played on the first day of the New Year."
Park Heng-suk emphasized that among the Southeast Asian teams, apart from Vietnam, only Thailand had participated in the 12-team tournament, but they failed to win a single match in the last edition. We have to go all out and do whatever it takes to beat China," he urged! This will not only make a good start for Vietnamese soccer in 2022 and change the destiny of Vietnamese soccer, but also allow Vietnam to overtake Thailand and become the first Southeast Asian team to win in the Top 12. Therefore, I hope the whole team will show strong determination and confidence against China."
Inspired by Park Hang-su, the new captain Do Hung Dung said in an interview with the media before the training session on the afternoon of February 18 that they will offer a "special gift" to Vietnamese fans and people on February 1, the Lunar New Year.
Do Hung Dung, who previously missed the first six matches of the 12-team tournament due to injury, has been trusted by Park Hang-soo since his return to the team. He said, "We know that the My Thanh Stadium will welcome 20,000 fans who will watch Vietnam play China on the first day of the Lunar New Year. All of our players want the fans to come in and cheer while complying with anti-epidemic regulations. This will be our motivation to play well. Of course, I miss my family because this is the time for reunions. But this is also a special holiday, and together with my teammates, I want to offer a special gift to the entire Vietnamese people: beating China!"
"Virtually every one of us is under the trust of the coaching staff and the team as a whole, and the onus is on me and anyone else to motivate our teammates to play well. Of course, our entire team and Coach Park will also be evaluating and discussing with the medical team to make sure that the players are in the best possible shape for practice and games. I am confident in my performance and will do my best to contribute to the team."
