Coach Hoang Van Phuc, 50, will officially sign on Friday a two-year contract with the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) to lead Vietnam’s national senior team and the national U-23 team, according to the VFF.

He has been assigned with the two main targets of leading the U-23 side to the final match of the 27th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, to be held late this year, and taking the senior team to the semifinals of the SEA Football Championships, or the Suzuki Cup in 2014, a VFF official revealed.

“They are difficult tasks and the expectations of Vietnam. The coach can’t refuse them.

“We will prematurely terminate his contract in case he fails to complete the tasks. But anyway he will remain an official at VFF to take care of youth football training,” the official added.

Phuc has recently announced that he will call up 26-30 players for the U-23 team to start training camp on May 27 in Hanoi. The squad will play two friendly matches with Kashima Antlers of Japan on June 4 in Hanoi and U-23 Myanmar on June 11 in Ho Chi Minh City.

Phuc has a high-profile history with youth football after leading the national U-16 team to the SEA Championship in 2008 and 2010, and the U-22 national team to a silver medal at the international BTV Cup in Binh Duong province last year.