The Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) officially announced on Monday that it will end the contract with beloved South Korean head coach Park Hang Seo after a five-year journey full of feats under his leadership.

“The VFF and the head coach of the Vietnamese men’s football team, Park Hang Seo, have reached a consensus on the termination of the contract between the two sides on January 31, 2023,” the country’s football governing body said in its announcement.

The decision means that the 2022 AFF Mitsubishi Electric Cup, set to take place between December and January, will be Park’s last tournament as the head coach of the team.

Park, a South Korean national, signed his first contract with the VFF in late 2017 before renewing it for three more years in late 2019.

The VFF recognizes that during his tenure as the head coach of the Vietnamese national team from October 2017 to date, Park and Vietnamese football have achieved many historic achievements, helping the country become highly recognized in the Asian football arena.

Under his spell, the U23 Vietnamese team became the runners-up at the 2018 AFC U23 Championship, finished fourth at the 2018 Asian Games, and claimed the men’s football gold medal at the biennial Southeast Asian Games two consecutive times in 2019 and 2021.

Thanks to his strategies, the Vietnamese national men’s football team won the 2018 AFF Suzuki Cup, advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2019 Asian Cup, and made their first-ever appearance in the final Asian qualification round of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

It is safe to say that Park’s magic has helped Vietnamese football cement its leading position in Southeast Asia.

The VFF expressed its appreciation to all those triumphs, which have created encouragement, inspiration, and great motivation for Vietnamese football to aim higher in the future.

The football governing body expects that Park will do his utmost to help Vietnam achieve the best results at the coming 2022 AFF Mitsubishi Electric Cup.

It also emphasized that the two sides will still keep a close partnership after the contract termination.

For his part, Park said that he will always remember his five-year journey with Vietnamese football. 

“As a coach of the national and U23 teams, I’ve always focused on each tournament," he said.

“Regardless of the results, it was owing to the support of the players, leaders, and staff of the VFF as well as the people of Vietnam that I could fulfill my duties and responsibilities. 

“This has been a memorable and enjoyable journey.

“I can feel the love and support given to me during my time in Vietnam.

“Although I’m leaving this position, I will continue to work hard to reward your support in the near future. 

“Once again, I would like to thank you for all the love that Vietnam has given me.”

Park added that he will continue to play a role in maintaining and enhancing the good friendship between Vietnam and South Korea after he steps down from the head coach position.

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