“It is my pleasure to extend to you and the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF), my best wishes and heartfelt congratulations on winning the 2018 AFF Suzuki Cup at My Dinh National Stadium,” said the AFC boss in a letter sent to newly elected VFF President Le Khanh Hai.
AFC President Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa
“The Vietnamese team led by Park Hang-seo performed brilliantly throughout the tournament and were very convincing in their overall triumph. I wish you the best in your preparations for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup in the UAE.”
Meanwhile, one day after the conclusion of the 2018 AFF Cup final, which saw Vietnam win 3-2 on aggregate against Malaysia, RoK President Moon Jae-in extended his congratulations, in both the RoK and Vietnamese languages, to Park’s side via his Facebook account.
“I would like to warmly congratulate Vietnam’s national team led by Park Hang-seo on clinching the overall title at the 2018 AFF Suzuki Cup. While witnessing the image of Vietnamese fans waving the Vietnamese and RoK flags in the final return leg, I had a feeling that the two countries have become increasingly close friends via football,” said the leader.
RoK President Moon Jae-in (in red) and his wife visit Vietnam's U23 squad during his visit to the country in March 2018.
“I am very happy as such a glorious achievement was made by Park Hang-seo and his Vietnamese players, whom I directly met on the training field during my state visit to Vietnam in March. I look forward to seeing more of their nice images in the future. I do hope that Vietnam and the RoK will continue fostering special friendship and together open up a bright future of mutual prosperity”.
Vietnam defeated Malaysia 1-0 in Saturday’s final second leg, with the first leg at Bukit Jalil National Stadium in Kuala Lumpur having ended 2-2. Veteran Nguyen Anh Duc’s sixth minute strike at My Dinh National Stadium secured Vietnam their second AFF Cup crown after ten years of waiting.
