Arriving in Kuala Lumpur, remembering coach Phan Thanh Hung

At Bukit Jalil that December night in 2010, head coach Henrique Calisto was nearly paralyzed after the 80th minute as captain Mohd Safee netted a double, giving Malaysia a 2-0 win in the AFF Suzuki Cup semi-final first leg. The inevitable had come to pass!

It was not merely the consequence of goalkeeper Tan Truong's two failed saves; in the preceding minutes, the Vietnam team had shown "issues" in their tactics. For the second consecutive year, from the 2009 SEA Games in Vientiane to the 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup, Vietnamese football was defeated by Malaysia following the same bitter script.

Back to Bukit Jalil. Young midfielder Phan Thanh Hung (the nephew of first assistant coach Phan Thanh Hung) surprisingly made the starting lineup, playing alongside captain Minh Phuong and having a decent performance until he was substituted in the 68th minute (replaced by Quang Hai). However, the rest of the defense—veteran center-back Huy Hoang unexpectedly deployed as right-back, Dinh Dong on the left (replacing the injured Quang Thanh), Nhu Thanh playing as a sweeper, and Tan Truong in goal—became disorganized.

After the second goal conceded, as mentioned, coach Calisto sat motionless while assistant coach Phan Thanh Hung stepped out to take charge. But everything seemed already decided, despite Minh Chau, Viet Thang, and Quang Hai—the heroes from two years earlier—having entered the pitch.

Regarding the 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup campaign, defending champions Vietnam almost automatically qualified for the semi-finals from Group B, despite a surprising loss to the Philippines in the second match at My Dinh Stadium. That defeat made insiders vaguely understand the problem. The trip to Malaysia was fraught with risks, and the two-legged semi-final against the palm oil country that year also marked the final days of coach Calisto's association with Vietnamese football. The subsequent stalemate in the second leg at My Dinh was the last straw.

Coach Calisto bid farewell and never returned to any role in football. Nevertheless, his players and fans still greatly cherish what the Portuguese strategist once brought to Vietnamese football.

In fact, after leaving, Mr. Calisto recommended coach Phan Thanh Hung for the "hot seat". However, Hanoi FC (formerly Hanoi T&T) had no intention of letting go of the coach who had just helped the capital team win the V-League championship on the occasion of the 1000th anniversary of Thang Long - Hanoi. It was only two years later, after the failure of coach Falko Goetz, that Hanoi T&T agreed to let Mr. Hung take over the Vietnam national team for the 2012 AFF Suzuki Cup campaign.

In his professional coaching career, the late coach Phan Thanh Hung served as an assistant to at least two foreign coaches. One was coach Calisto, and the next was coach Goetz. He experienced both success and failure, bitterness and sweetness, and gained enough hard-won experience. Mr. Hung never again worked as an assistant to anyone after that, despite receiving many offers, and for good reason. Coach Phan Thanh Hung believed that Vietnamese football could be self-reliant, and he dedicated his entire life to pursuing that ambition.

Having devoted his whole life to Vietnamese football in many different roles, now departing the mortal world, the late coach Phan Thanh Hung can smile at what he accomplished, because not every football coach leaves behind as much mourning as Mr. Hung did when he passed away.

The Vietnam team has traveled to Kuala Lumpur for a match with the same nature as 16 years ago. The team's demeanor now is also the same as back then—both are defending champions. Fans hope this time will be different, and it must be different. Somewhere, Mr. Hung is surely still watching every step of the team and Vietnamese football, because his life has been closely tied to the country's football!

Football is a relentless relay race. Wishing coach Kim Sang-sik and his players firm steps on Malaysian soil, with the younger generation—many of whom in the current squad were once students of the late coach Phan Thanh Hung!