Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Nguyen Thanh Phong hosted a reception for head coach of the national men’s football team Park Hang-seo in the city on December 31.

Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Nguyen Thanh Phong (R)
presents gift to head coach Park Hang-seo (Photo: VNA)  

At the meeting, the municipal official affirmed that relations between Vietnam and the home country of the coach, the Republic of Korea (RoK), have been thriving, including ties between HCM City and localities of the RoK.

In addition to efforts by the two governments, coach Park’s contributions to Vietnamese football have strengthened the countries’ relations, Phong said, adding that aside from his position as a sports figure, the coach is also playing the role of an ambassador promoting the countries’ cooperation.

The official expressed his hope that coach Park and his assistants will develop new football talents for Vietnam’s football in the coming time.

For his part, the Korean head coach said he was able to get along well with Vietnam’s football teams thanks to similarities in the two cultures.

He also voiced his hope that the city will host some matches of the men’s football team in the future.

The head coach and members of the U23 squad are joining a training session in HCM City before leaving for Thailand to compete at the 2020 AFC U-23 Championship, scheduled to begin on January 8.