Vietnamese footballer to auction SEA Games gold medal for Covid-19 relief

"During quarantine, I was keeping up to date on the Covid-19 situation in the country. When I saw the new cases increasing every day, it made me feel worried.

"I want to give away the medal to raise funds. Hopefully, it will radiate the same spirit as during our win at SEA Games 2019," Hoang said.

As a U22 player in 2009, Hoang competed in his first SEA Games when he was 20. The team went all the way to the final but lost to Malaysia. Ten years later, Hoang was selected for SEA Games again as one of the two additional players above 23 years old added to the U22 team. And this time, Hoang finally claimed the gold medal he has been seeking all along.

"When I received the medal, the feeling was really hard to describe. I was very lucky. I thought I wouldn’t be able to play in SEA Games again," Hoang said.

The medal will be up for auction online until Aug. 8.

"For me, the real value in life lies in the good things that I can give, not the things I receive. Therefore, I’m always ready whenever I can do something to help the community."