After claiming their second AFF Championship crown in 2018, Vietnam were tipped as one of the favourites for the previous edition only to fall in the sem-ifinals.

In what is the final tournament in charge for long-serving coach Park Hang-seo, Vietnam will be desperate to send the Korean mentor out on a high by tasting regional glory once more.

To do so they’ll need to have consistent performances from their collection of stars and here we look at three players that could be key to returning Vietnam back to the top of the Southeast Asian football.

Vote now for who you think will be Vietnam’s most important player at the 2022 AFF Mitsubishi Electric Cup.

 

NGUYEN HOANG DUC
Age: 24
Position: Midfielder
Club: Viettel

 

The 24-year-old central midfielder was a breakthrough star at the previous edition of the AFF Championship and has continued his fine form domestically with Viettel where he won the 2021 Golden Ball as the best Vietnamese player.

As a tempo setting midfield controller, Hoang Duc profiles as a key player for Vietnam where he can both disrupt opposition attacks and quickly help his nation shift from defence to attack.

NGUYEN QUANG HAI
Age: 25
Position: Forward
Club: Pau

A star not just of Vietnamese football but also right across Southeast Asia and beyond, Quang Hai is an exceptional talent and if he fires at the 2022 AFF Mitsubishi Electric Cup then Vietnam will be very hard to stop.

Having made a high-profile move to France where he plays his club football with Pau FC, the creative forward is a major threat from both wide and central areas with his outstanding passing and dribbling and is also a deadly option from set-piece situations.

 

QUE NGOC HAI
Age: 29
Position: Defender
Club: Song Lam Nghe An

The silky central defender is a key part of what’s expected to once again be a watertight Vietnamese defence as the Song Lam Nghe An cantre-back gets set to appear in his fifth edition of the AFF Championship.

Now a vice-captain of his nation, the 29-year-old is very much a modern-day defender who is comfortable in playing out from the back and calm, composed and organised in his defensive duties.

Poll will end on Friday, December 9 at 18:00 SGT