Vietnam

Vietnam disappointed in the defence of their AFF Suzuki Cup crown in 2010 and will be hoping that newly appointed coach Phan Thanh Hung can deliver better results in the upcoming edition of Southeast Asia's premier football competition.

In what was their finest footballing hour, Vietnam defeated Thailand 3-2 on aggregate in 2008 with golden boy Le Cong Vinh delivering the coup de grace in the third minute of added time at a packed My Dinh Stadium in Hanoi.

With huge expectations weighing on their shoulders, the defending champions and co-hosts topped their group at the 2010 edition despite a surprising 2-0 loss to The Philippines but exited at the semi-final stage to eventual champions Malaysia.

Two second-half goals by Safee Sali in the first leg in Kuala Lumpur put Malaysia in the driving seat and despite the urgings of 40,000 fans at the My Dinh Stadium, Vietnam failed to fire in the return and the dream of the tactically astute Henrique Calisto leading them to a second straight final ended with a 0-0 draw.

Hung, the current coach of high-flying Hanoi T&T in the V-League, was in charge for two friendly matches last month when Vietnam were defeated 3-0 by China before beating Hong Kong 2-1. Second half goals by young strikers Nguyen Van Quyet and Nguyen Trong Hoang sealed the victory although Hung admitted a draw would have been a fairer result.

Nickname: Doi tuyen Viet nam (Team representing Vietnam)
National coach: Phan Thanh Hung



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