Vietnam national team head coach Park Hang-soe has revealed that he was doubtful of lasting even an year at the helm of the Golden Dragons while taking up the job.
Park recently appeared in a television show in his native Korea Republic and discussed a variety of topics including the memorable stint he is having with the Southeast Asian country.
The former Korea Republic international was made the coach of the Vietnam U-23 national team in 2017 and soon took over the senior national team duties the same year.
Under Park, a former assistant to Guus Hiddink at the Korea Republic national team, Vietnam reached the final of the 2018 AFC U-23 championship, semifinal of the 2018 Asian Games and quarterfinals of the 2019 AFC Asian Cup as well as winning the 2018 AFF Suzuki Cup.
However, his move to Vietnam came after turbulent years in his homeland where he clashed with the Korea Football Association and saw a few of his players from Jeonnam Dragons convicted in the 2011 K League match fixing scandal.
“There is a moment when things ‘stop’ – that moment is crucial. I had no choice. I was determined to last for at least a year. Due to the language barrier, I approached to players and tried to communicate from heart to heart,” Park told TV show Conversation With Hee-Yeol (viaFootball Tribe Korea).
Park is busy preparing his Vietnamese side for new challenges this season starting with the King’s Cup 2019 in Thailand followed by the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers starting in September as well as the 2019 Southeast Asian Games later in the year.