Vietnam’s squad leave for Group G opener against hosts Thailand

>>> Coach Park upbeat ahead of Vietnam’s opener against Thai arch-rivals

>>> [Infographic] Vietnam’s Group G fixtures in round two of World Cup 2022 AFC qualifiers

Coach Park Hang-seo's side arrived at Suvarnabhumi International Airport, Bangkok at noon on Sunday, after taking flight coded VN611 of the national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines, departing from Hanoi at 8:35am the same day.

As reported by Nhan Dan Newspaper’s correspondents present at Suvarnabhumi airport, the squad are looking in good shape and ready for their short training camp before the opener against arch rivals Thailand on September 5. The team are stationed at the Novotel Bangkok Impact Hotel in Nonthaburi.

The opening match of Group G of the World Cup Asian Qualifiers second round will take place on Thammasat Stadium in Pathum Thani province bordering Bangkok on Thursday. The group consists of four Southeast Asian teams, including Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam, plus the favourites United Arab Emirates from Western Asia.

After a coaching meeting on Saturday evening, coach Park made a decision to streamline the 27-member preliminary squad to a 24-member list, before making the trip to Thailand this morning.

Accordingly, three players had to say goodbye to the team, including defenders Lam Anh Quang and Do Thanh Thinh and young midfielder Nguyen Hoang Duc. The duo Do Thanh Thinh and Nguyen Hoang Duc will turn to strengthen the Vietnam U22 squad in preparing to a friendly against China U22s on September 8.

The 24-member squad will next be shortened to 23 players according to the regulations. The official 23-man list will be finalised at the technical meeting ahead of the match against Thailand, which takes place on September 4.

The team have four days to get used to the weather and the pitch in Thailand. Sint Truidense’s striker Nguyen Cong Phuong will fly from Belgium to join with his teammates on September 2, while Hanoi FC’s defender Doan Van Hau will be present on September 3, after completing procedures related to signing a contract for Dutch top division club SC Heerenveen.

Fullback Doan Van Hau is expected to join Dutch first division club SC Heerenveen before the transfer window in Europe closes on September 2. (Photo: Hanoi FC)

According to an official announcement by Hanoi FC on August 31, the left-wing-back Van Hau is expected to sign on loan for the Eredivisie club, with the team retaining a buy-out clause. The Thai Binh province native flied to the Netherlands on Saturday evening, before clearing a medical examination and eventually signing a contract before the transfer window in Europe closes on September 2.

“It is known that the representatives of SC Heerenveen and Hanoi FC have been working on talks over the past two months. The key is that the Dutch club will be committed to creating the best conditions for Van Hau to go onto the football field since SC Heerenveen has watched very closely the defender of Hanoi FC for a long period of time. SC Heerenveen is confident that this left defender is qualified to meet the requirements of playing football in the Netherlands League,” the statement said.

Although not fully recovered from an injury, Van Hau is still considered as one of the important player of the national squad. He is on preparation with his teammates for the match against Thailand, however, the Vietnam Football Federation and head coach Park Hang-seo agreed that the team would allow the fullback to temporarily leave the team to go to the Netherlands for medical tests, as well as carrying out procedures to sign a contract with SC Heerenveen before the European transfer window ended. This is a very good opportunity for Van Hau to improve his capacity, thereby contributing to promoting the image of Vietnamese football and making a more positive contribution to the national team in the future.

SC Heerenveen is famous as a launch pad for big stars, with the most prominent names coming from the club being Ruud van Nistelrooy and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, who before reaching the peak of their career used to play for SC Heerenveen. The team are currently ranked ninth in the Eredivisie rankings after the first five matchdays this season.

After completing the necessary procedures related to the contract with SC Heerenveen, Van Hau will return to the national squad on September 3 to prepare for the important match against the War Elephants. The team’s doctors said Doan Van Hau is in the process of recovering from his injury and could play from 40-65 minutes in the upcoming match. That is why coach Park continues to retain his position in the 24-man list.