Park leads Vietnam to more success
Vietnam's coach Park Hang-seo, center, holds the trophy as the players and Vietnam's Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (2nd-R in black suit) celebrate after winning the AFF Suzuki Cup 2018 championship following the AFF Suzuki Cup 2018 final football match between Vietnam and Malaysia at the My Dinh Stadium in Hanoi on Saturday. AFP-Yonhap
By John Duerden
Last week a documentary was released in Vietnam's movie theaters depicting the life story of Park Hang-seo. The South Korean was already a hero in the country but after leading the national team to Southeast Asia's regional championship, Saturday, his popularity is off the charts.
The streets of the capital Hanoi were filled with fans wearing red shirts and celebrating the win over Malaysia in the final of the 2018 AFF Suzuki Cup, which features ten nations competing for the prize.
It was reminiscent of the 2002 World Cup in South Korea when millions filled the streets of Seoul as the Taegeuk Warriors reached the semifinal.
Park was part of Guus Hiddink's coaching staff during that crazy summer but these days he is working alone. He took over Vietnam in 2017 and immediately set about making the team harder to beat. The Golden Stars had long had talent but didn't always get the results that this deserved.
In January Park took control of the Under-23 team and led it to the final of the Asian Championships, losing to Uzbekistan in the final. That gave Park his hero status but now he is approaching something else.
The AFF Suzuki Cup takes place every two years and is a big deal in Southeast Asia. Vietnam had won it once before, in 2008, but Thailand had since established itself as top dogs in the region. But not any more. Vietnam was the best team in the competition from start to finish.
Park has made a young team hard-working, physical and aggressive. Well-organized and happy to sit back and hit on the counter-attack, there are plenty of exciting young players.
The win over Malaysia was sealed in front of 40,000 screaming fans in Hanoi and they cheered even louder when Park was thrown into the air, time and time again, by his players. It was a long night in the capital.
But there is more to come. Vietnam has appeared just once at the Asian Cup in the last 60 years and that came in 2007 when it was co-host. Now though, preparations start for the 2019 Asian Cup in January. Should Vietnam get out of a group containing Iran, Iraq and Yemen ― possible as avoiding last place may be enough ― to get to the knockout stage, then the team's arrival really will be complete.
The problem for Vietnam may be keeping hold of Park amid growing interest from Korean clubs. Korea will get a great chance to see for itself in March as the two national teams meets in a special game that brings together the champions of Southeast Asia and East Asia.
That is in the future. So far Park has taken Vietnam to new heights and if he can deliver more success at the Asian Cup then he will cement his place as a legend in Vietnamese sport.