Vietnam have enjoyed unprecedented success in international football ever since South Korean tactician Park Hang-seo took charge as the head coach of their national team in 2017.
They have reached the 2018 AFC U-23 Championship final in China, semifinals of the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia and quarterfinalists in the AFC Asian Cup 2019 held in UAE earlier this year while also winning the AFF Suzuki Cup 2018.
And Park was asked what the secret behind the Golden Dragons’ success at the international stage was, during an interview with the AFC’s official website recently.
“I would say the success is the result of the Vietnamese strengths which are solidarity, pride, smartness and fighting spirit. Everybody works not individually but as one team. As the head coach, I have been trying to build confidence and trust in the team,” the 60-year-old said during the interaction.
Park termed Vietnam’s brilliant run in multiple competitions as a miracle. “They were all big events for us and to me, it was a miracle year. I think everyone in the team did a really good job in their respective positions. Now we are looking forward because we have a lot of challenges ahead,” he said.
However, the former Korea Republic international knows there is no time to rest on the laurels as Vietnam prepare for the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers and the 2019 Southeast Asian Games later this year.
AFC Asian Cup 2019: Jordan 1-1 Vietnam – Nguyen Cong Phuong (51′)
“We have to prepare for two very important tournaments at the same time. While I will manage both teams as the head coach, the coaching staff will be different. For the 2022 World Cup Qualifiers, the key players will be from the AFF Cup and Asian Cup. We all already know each other so we will able to prepare efficiently,” he said.
“For the SEA Games, we have not won the title in the last 60 years. It won’t be an easy task for us as we will have to play every two days, so it is very important that all players play the same quality of football,” Park added.