Vietnamese footballers, who are the new champions in men's football at the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games 2019, featured heavily in Fox Sports Asia’s ASEAN Best 11 of the Year.

Fox Sports Asia on Friday afternoon announced the best 11 of Southeast Asian footballers who have impressed at the international arena in 2019, with four Vietnamese names included in the list.

The first fixture was Que Ngoc Hai, who was the captain and leader for the Golden Dragons through their solid season in international football. 

The online sports news site recounted the 26-year-old’s contribution to Vietnam’s reaching the quarterfinals of the AFC Asian Cup 2019 and topping their ASEAN-heavy group in the World Cup Qualifiers with three matches left.

Specifically, Hai popped up to score against Yemen in the Asian championship and in a 3-1 win over Indonesia in the second round of the 2022 World Cup and 2023 AFC Asian Cup Joint-Qualifiers. 

At the club level, the defender helped the newly-promoted Viettel FC finish a creditable sixth place in Vietnam’s top-tier V.League 1, with only three points short of a place in the group stages of the AFC Cup 2020.

Vietnam's Doan Van Hau celebrates scoring the third goal in the finale against Indonesia of men's football at the 2019 Southeast Asian Games in the Philippines, December 10, 2019. Photo: Nguyen Khoi / Tuoi Tre

Another Vietnamese defender featured in the list was Doan Van Hau, who plays for SC Heerenveen in the Netherlands’ top-flight league.

The 20-year-old competed for Vietnam in the Asian Cup as well as the World Cup Qualifiers.

He also scored a brace in Vietnam’s 3-0 thrashing of Indonesia to win their first SEA Games men’s football gold medal.

Next, Fox Sports Asia turned the limelight on midfielder Do Hung Dung, who was a permanent fixture in the Vietnamese squad during the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers. 

In the absence of injured Nguyen Quang Hai due to injury, Hung Dung also captained the Vietnam U-22s to their long-awaited gold medal at the SEA Games 2019. 

At the club level, the central midfielder also helped Hanoi FC win another V.League 1 title last season and powered the Capital Team to a historic appearance in the Inter-Zone Play-Off Final of the AFC Cup 2019 where they lost narrowly to North Korea’s 4.25 SC.

Vietnam's Do Hung Dung celebrates scoring the second goal in the finale against Indonesia of men's football at the 2019 Southeast Asian Games in the Philippines, December 10, 2019. Photo: Tuoi Tre

The last but not least Vietnamese fixture in the ASEAN Best 11, superstar Nguyen Quang Hai was hailed for his participation in all of the aforementioned tournaments.

Hai took the Vietnam national team under his wings in 2019 guiding them to the quarterfinals of the AFC Asian Cup 2019 and also helping them top their World Cup Qualifiers group. 

He was also included in the Vietnam U-22 squad for the SEA Games 2019 but missed the latter stages of the competition as they secured a historic gold at the Games. 

The 22-year-old also starred for Hanoi FC as they won their fifth V.League 1 title and a first-ever Vietnamese National Cup. 

Hai also shined in the AFC Cup scoring a brace against Altyn Asyr FC in the Inter-Zone Play-Off Semifinals, though the Purple-Yellows could not past 4.25 SC in the Inter-Zone Final.

Apart from the four Vietnamese players, the ASEAN Best 11 of 2019 included three Thai goalkeeper, defender and midfielder, and four footballers of the Philippines, Malaysia, Myanmar, and Singapore.

Vietnam's midfielder Nguyen Quang Hai. Photo: Fox Sports Asia

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