'Duc Tho trio' in SLNA jersey

The first face is Nguyen Tien Quang, the oldest of the three players with the last name Nguyen from Duc Tho district (Ha Tinh). The former right-back born in 1968, together with Le Van Luu (sweeper), Nguyen Huu Thang and Le Thanh Long (defenders), Van Sy Son (left-back) created an extremely solid defense, contributing to helping SLNA become an extremely difficult opponent for every team in Vietnam.

Former defender Nguyen Tien Quang (middle). Photo: FB Tran Quang Dung

Unlike his teammates, Nguyen Tien Quang has a diligent playing style, rarely making any more aggressive tackles than necessary. Therefore, throughout his football career, Nguyen Tien Quang rarely received a card from the main referees. Perhaps, that is also one of the reasons why Nguyen Tien Quang did not leave much of an impression, a special mark on Nghe An football fans. In 1998, Quang "jailed" his career at the top.

The second face is Nguyen Van Tien. During his playing days, the player born in 1969 played as a right winger, famous for his two "specialties": very long throw-ins and powerful direct free kicks. Many times, the Nghe An team scored a goal after a throw-in or a free kick from the midfielder wearing the number 14 shirt.

Coach Nguyen Van Tien (white shirt). Photo: SLNA FC

After retiring from his football career with a series of collective titles, Nguyen Van Tien was retained by SLNA's Board of Directors to be in charge of youth training. Coach Nguyen Van Tien's first achievement in his new position was helping SLNA U17 win the championship at the 2009 National U17 Finals, held at Thien Truong Stadium (Nam Dinh). Currently, Coach Nguyen Van Tien is leading SLNA U19, where his compatriot Nguyen Tien Quang is acting as assistant.

The third face is Nguyen Phi Hung, the youngest of the three players from Duc Tho district. It is not an exaggeration to say that the player born in 1974 is one of the most outstanding faces of Nghe An football in the period from the 90s of the last century to the early 2000s. In addition to the defensive midfielder position, Hung "Casua" also plays well in the positions of full-back, left-back and left-winger, whenever required by the head coach.

With his fiery yet mischievous playing style, Nguyen Phi Hung was not only a mainstay of SLNA but also a regular member of the Vietnam National Team under coaches Colin Murphy, Alfred Riedl and Dido (from 1997 to 2001). Unfortunately, Nguyen Phi Hung did not leave any special impression in the National Team jersey in major tournaments such as the SEA Games and Tiger Cup (former name of the AFF Cup).

Former midfielder Nguyen Phi Hung. Photo: Archive

At the end of the 2002 season, Nguyen Phi Hung joined HAGL. At the mountain town team, Hung "Casua" continued to win 2 V.League championships in the 2003 and 2004 seasons. In the final stage of his football career, the former midfielder of the Vietnam National Team played for Binh Dinh and Da Nang, before retiring at the end of the 2005 season, to move into the culinary field.

From the same hometown, having contributed to SLNA for many years, but the lives after retirement of the three players from Duc Tho have gone in different directions. While Nguyen Tien Quang and Nguyen Van Tien continue to pursue their passion for football, Hung "Casuarina" is always busy with his restaurant business./.