Coach Park Hang-seo honored for advancing Vietnam-South Korea friendship

By Vu Anh December 5, 2022 | 06:12 pm PT

Coach Park Hang-seo during a tournament with Vietnam's national football team. Photo by VnExpress

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol awarded the Order of Diplomatic Service Merit, Heungin Medal, to football coach Park Hang-seo for promoting friendship with Vietnam.

Park received the medal at a state dinner hosted by the president for his Vietnamese counterpart, Nguyen Xuan Phuc, on Monday.

Park became the head coach of the Vietnamese team in 2017, and under him they achieved a lot of success including reaching the final of the 2018 AFC U23 Championship, winning the 2018 AFF Cup title, qualifying for the quarterfinal of the 2019 Asian Cup, winning two SEA Games gold medals in 2019 and 2022, and advancing to the final qualifiers of the World Cup for the first time in their history.

Under Park's management, Vietnam became the top football nation in Southeast Asia and maintained a place in the top 100 of the FIFA world rankings.

Vietnam and South Korea agreed on Monday to elevate their bilateral relationship to that of a comprehensive strategic partnership.

During his three-day visit to South Korea from December 4 Phuc will meet the heads of many leading corporations investing in Vietnam, including CJ, Lotte, LG, Daewoo E&C, and Hyundai Motor.