Vietnam and Football ⚽ Part 2: What was the first tournament Vietnamese football ever won? 🏆

In Vietnam, football is more than just a sport. It's something special that unites the people and sends the whole country into a frenzy. ⚽

So, when was the moment the Vietnam national football team rose to the top of Southeast Asia for the first time in its history?

Surprisingly, it was back in 2008, 10 years before Coach Park Hang-seo came to Vietnam!

🏆 1. Vietnam's First Championship, the AFF Cup

In 2008, Vietnam won the AFF Championship (then known as the AFF Suzuki Cup), a tournament in which the national teams of Southeast Asian countries compete.

This tournament is an important competition that determines the strongest team in Southeast Asian football.

The coach who led Vietnam at that time was not Korean but Henrique Calisto from Portugal.

Vietnam faced Thailand, a strong favorite to win the title, in the final.

🔥 2. A dramatic showdown created against Thailand

The final was played in a two-legged format, with one match at home and one away.

📍 1st Leg — Away in Thailand Vietnam took the early advantage by beating Thailand 2-1.

📍 Match 2 — Hanoi, Vietnam Vietnam drew 1-1 with Thailand.

The aggregate score over the two matches is 3-2!

Vietnam has defeated their fierce rival Thailand to clinch their first-ever AFF Cup title. 🇻🇳🏆

In particular, Le Cong Vinh's dramatic headed goal in the dying moments of the second leg became a scene that will long be remembered in the history of Vietnamese football.

The moment the championship was secured, the stadium erupted in cheers, and countless fans poured into the streets to celebrate the victory late into the night.

❤️ 3. Why a Single Trophy Was So Special

Vietnam had shown strong performances in international tournaments before, but the AFF Cup was different.

Winning the AFF Cup was special because it meant reaching the top of senior national team football in Southeast Asia.

In particular, overcoming the disappointment of losing to Singapore in the final of the 1998 tournament,

It was also highly meaningful that they turned an opportunity that came around again after 10 years into a championship.

This victory was a long-awaited joy for the Vietnamese people.

And ten years later, in 2018, the Vietnamese national team led by coach Park Hang-seo once again won the AFF Cup.

If the first championship in 2008 was one of the historic starting points of Vietnamese football,

The 2018 championship was a historic moment that set that passion ablaze once again.

4. But why was the opponent in the final Thailand again?

The team that tried to stand in the way of Vietnam's first championship in 2008 was Thailand.

And Vietnam and Thailand continued their fierce rivalry afterward, facing off as powerhouses of Southeast Asian football.

A football match between the two countries is often seen as more than just a game to decide a winner and a loser; it is regarded as a showdown where national pride is at stake.

Why on earth did Vietnam and Thailand become such fierce football rivals?

Vietnam and Football ⚽ Let's find out why in Part 3!