The 33-year-old has a lot of experience playing for the national team and Binh Duong football club in the southern Binh Duong Province.
Duc is a “powerful forward” who has a good sense of position and takes advantage of pass from his midfield teammates, the AFF said on its website.
He will represent the older generation in the current Vietnamese team of young stars, it said.
The six others in the list are Adisak Kraisorn of Thailand, Chan Vathanaka of Cambodia, Phil Younghusband of the Philippines, Alberto ‘Beto’ Goncalves of Indonesia, Safawi Rasid of Malaysia, and Aung Thu of Myanmar.
In 2015 Duc won the Vietnam Golden Ball award given to the best player of the year for his contributions to his club’s national title.
The 2018 AFF Championship kicks off on November 11. Vietnam is in group A with Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, and Cambodia.
The game's organizers have also named two Vietnamese players Nguyen Cong Phuong and Nguyen Quang Hai among top contenders for its best player award.