Coach Park Hang-seo writes a letter expressing gratitude for the support from his homeland.

Coach Park Hang Seo's letter, written in Korean, expresses his gratitude to those who have supported him and the Vietnamese national team over the past period. Photo: Yonhap

Since leading the Vietnam U23 team through a miraculous journey at the AFC U23 Championship and the success of the Vietnamese Olympic team at the 2018 Asian Games, South Korean fans have shown immense interest and enthusiastic support for the Vietnamese national team throughout the campaign, from the group stage to the moment Coach Park Hang-seo's team won the 2018 AFF Cup. For the first time in history, South Korean television station SBS purchased the broadcasting rights for the 2018 AFF Cup to broadcast the Vietnamese national team's matches. SBS canceled the airing of a popular drama to broadcast the AFF Cup final. This decision proved successful, with viewership ratings reaching 18.1%, double that of the drama.

According to statistics from TNMS media data, in the first leg of the 2018 AFF Cup semi-final, the viewership for the Vietnamese team on SBS television reached 1.5%, and in the second leg of the semi-final, the number of viewers watching the match live on SBS set a new record: 2.6%, an increase of more than 1% compared to the first leg. The first leg of the 2018 AFF Suzuki Cup Final between Malaysia and Vietnam attracted 3.2% of the paid subscribers of the SBS Sports (South Korea) channel to watch live.

A festive atmosphere prevails in the hometown of coach Park Hang Seo after the Vietnamese national team won the 2018 AFF Cup. Photo: Koreadaily

In Sancheong County, in western Gyeongsang Nam Province, where Park Hang-seo was born and spent his childhood, after witnessing their hometown hero lead the Vietnamese national team to the top of Southeast Asia, the locals displayed banners celebrating with a festive atmosphere.

In response to the heartfelt support from his homeland, Coach Park sent a short letter expressing sincere gratitude to the people of South Korea: “I am truly touched and grateful for South Korea’s concern for me and the Vietnamese team. This contributed to my team and me winning the 2018 AFF Cup. You have all contributed greatly to strengthening the relationship between Vietnam and South Korea. I will do my best to maintain the positive image between our two countries. I wish you good health and happiness,” Coach Park wrote.