It’s not everyday that the AFF Suzuki Cup has one of the brightest young talents anywhere in Asian football about to stride the regional stage but that’s certainly the case for the forthcoming edition as Nguyen Quang Hai prepares for what many feel could be a coming out party.

At just 20 years of age the creative heartbeat of an exciting, youthful, Vietnamese side has already been hailed as one of the leading young stars on the continent and he’s set to show just why when the Golden Stars kick off their campaign against Laos in early November.

Ten years after Vietnam’s previous triumph the current generation head into the tournament as one of the favourites and that’s a mantle that sits comfortably with Quang Hai, who remembers watching that 2008 edition as a young child.

“For us to be able to repeat the feats of the 2008 team would be a great achievement.

“I remember back in 2008 when Vietnam became champions just what that meant for the country.

“At that time I was just a young player with dreams and now I’ve already been able to represent my country but I still have plenty of goals that I want to achieve.”

Given that the defending champion, Thailand, are set to be without several of their key foreign stars the door is well and truly open for Vietnam to claim their second AFF Suzuki Cup.

Whilst the Hanoi FC based starlet knows just how stern a challenge that the War Elephants will provide he’s cautioned that Vietnam are just as capable as any other nation at the tournament.

“I think there’s not a great gap between the teams and of course Indonesia and Thailand will be strong opponents but we will try to do our best to finish on top and have strong motivation to do so.

“Thailand has many good players but I don’t worry that they are missing some others because our focus is always on the team and we know that the key will be to have a good mentality and tactical approach and if we are also prepared physically then we can play at our maximum level.”

Even at such a tender age, Quang Hai is already being compared to the likes of Le Cong Vinh and other Vietnamese legends and with his combination of outstanding technical ability, close control and a willingness to take on defenders it’s easy to see why.

In recent national team matches he’s also showed his tactical versatility and has starred whether lining up as a traditional winger, an advanced playmaker or as a central midfielder but it’s his mentality that also shines through.

That’s evident that as he prepares for his first appearance at the AFF Suzuki Cup he’s declared the team has already put their disappointing semifinal exit in 2016 firmly behind them.

“Many people will look back to our previous matches, especially the loss to Indonesia in the semifinals two years ago in the Suzuki Cup and we cannot say anything about that.

“What we can do though is take lessons from our previous matches and we know they are valuable ones as we look ahead to the Suzuki Cup.”