Park Hang-seo admits to feeling pressure to win the gold medal at the 2019 SEA Games.

- You previously publicly stated your intention to only coach one national team in 2019. But now, you've taken on the U22 team for the 2019 SEA Games. What are the specifics of this?

- In 2018, the Vietnamese national teams went through many tournaments and faced many challenges. I think that if we focused on one team, we would achieve better results, especially if we looked at the player analysis process. In 2019, there are two important tournaments with close schedules. If we had the choice, I think the results could be better.

During the internal deliberation process, we decided that I would lead the national team in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers. Lee Young-jin would coach the U22 team for the SEA Games. However, there were still personnel changes, because Lee had just helped me with the national team and also had to participate in the SEA Games immediately. I met with the leaders and coaches of the clubs and clearly saw the value of the SEA Games to Vietnamese fans. Officials also emphasized the goal of winning a gold medal at the SEA Games. They also suggested that I lead the U22 team in this tournament. The government is very eager. So are the Vietnamese people, because this has been a desire for the past 50 years. Therefore, I requested that they give me the opportunity; if given 5 weeks to prepare, I would try to win a medal. I made this request and the officials agreed. Everyone agreed because we also had 5 weeks to prepare from the U23 tournament in Changzhou. Everyone agreed that it was enough time. Therefore, I will be coaching both the senior national team and the U22 team.

- You've mentioned the gold medal target many times. Do you feel any pressure?

- I can confirm that yes. To date, I've participated in four major tournaments. None of them were easy. They were all stressful. But I always kept in mind that I would do my best to achieve my goals. I'm not the type of person who will back down when under pressure.

- Do you have the best team yet? What is the current status of Dinh Trong's injury?

- The team assembled 37 players on March 6th. On March 8th, five more players from Hanoi returned from the AFC Cup. On March 16th, we will have a friendly match against Taiwan. After that match, we will have a preliminary squad, narrowed down to 25 or 27 players. We will finalize the list on March 20th. Currently, three players are injured and have had to be sent home. Several other players are still injured.

Dinh Trong underwent surgery in South Korea. After returning to Vietnam, he had scans which showed good results. The treatment left no lasting effects. The doctors also gave a positive assessment. Dinh Trong is also comfortable and positive in training. He may not play immediately, but he is still training fully. We will also have a contingency plan in case he is unable to play.

- How would you compare this year's U23 team with the U23 team in Changzhou?

- Both teams are excellent. In terms of physique, this generation is even better. In terms of technique, both teams have their own strengths and weaknesses. They are both the future generation of Vietnamese football. We analyzed their physical attributes and concluded that those who participated in the U23 team in Changzhou all had similar indicators. For example, the percentage of body fat was quite low, and their upper body strength was still weak.

- What are your thoughts on the possibility of recruiting more Vietnamese players living abroad?

- Personally, I welcome those players returning to Vietnam and playing for the national team. To do this, several things need to be addressed. Firstly, there are the procedures. Secondly, there's the communication with the Vietnam Football Federation. Only then can we assess the player's abilities, character, and communication skills with the national team.

- Your contract expires in January 2020. Fans are eager to keep you with an early and long-term contract. What can you share about that?

- The contract includes a clause stating that three months before its expiration, both parties will sit down together. However, we have many tournaments to compete in between, and we need to focus on those. When it's necessary to discuss the contract, I and the VFF will meet privately.

- He's been given quite a few assistants. What's the difference between this group and the previous one?

- We still have more Vietnamese assistants. The reason we need more assistants is because we will be divided into two teams. We have added Dinh Hong Vinh, but we are missing Lu Dinh Tuan. We don't have much information about the current players. Regarding the fitness coach, we previously had Brazilian coach Willander Fonseca, but he is currently busy studying for his Asian coaching license. Because of the tight schedule, I had to use personal connections to invite a Korean coach. That's Lee Tae-hoon. We need him because he has experience in Southeast Asia, having participated in three SEA Games as head coach. He is only providing support during this time, not under contract with the VFF, but simply as an assistant from HAGL. If we add more Korean assistants, it will only be Lee Tae-hoon.

- Have you received any offers recently? How have you responded?

- I would prefer not to answer this question. I truly love Vietnam. I will do my best to maintain the best possible contact with the VFF.

- Coach Le Huynh Duc commented that there was no reason to call up Ha Duc Chinh to the national team. How did he prepare Duc Chinh mentally?

- I respect Huynh Duc's opinion. I think if Duc Chinh is in good form, the club should take responsibility for helping him regain his form. There's a problem in the V-League right now. Last year, they only allowed two foreign players, but this year it's increased to three. We know that in the V-League, 70% to 80% of strikers are foreign. If we continue like this, it will be very difficult to produce good strikers for Vietnam. I watched the match between Da Nang and Viettel, and I saw that Da Nang's two foreign strikers didn't get a chance. The reason for Duc Chinh's poor form might stem from him. We should think about how using foreign strikers will affect our football. I don't mean to look down on foreign players, especially strikers; they play aerial balls and have good physiques. Most V-League clubs use this style of play. With Vietnamese defenders, we lack physical strength and build. I often wonder whether playing long balls is suitable for the development path of Vietnamese football. We know that adding another foreign player to a club will make things difficult for domestic players. I would like to ask again, if Da Nang uses two foreign players, what will Duc Chinh do to compete?

In European national leagues, there are no limits on player transfers. For example, in Brazil and Spain, there are many foreign players, but many local players also go abroad. Supply and demand in these countries are almost balanced. But in Vietnam, supply and demand are not balanced.

- Are any players feeling overwhelmed by the new fitness training program? What are the similarities and differences compared to the previous fitness coach?

- There are no insurmountable problems. Even though the assistant coach is new, all training plans are approved by me. I will review them to see if they are suitable for the physical condition of the Vietnamese players and the match schedule. We always communicate with each other. Assistant coach Park is young and less experienced, but he has more new expertise compared to Bae. Park studied in Germany and England. Bae has more experience, but is limited in updating his knowledge. At the U23 Asian Championship in China last year, there were days when we trained three times. But Bae didn't make all the decisions; everything was approved by me.

- What are your thoughts on the fact that Vietnam only has 3 players who have gone abroad?

- If Vietnamese players get to play in higher-level leagues, that's good for the future of Vietnamese football. I can't directly help players go abroad to play. That's something the clubs handle themselves. A few days ago, Cong Phuong played in the K-League. I sent him a congratulatory message. I also urged my assistants to always keep him updated on Cong Phuong. In the future, I'm sure Cong Phuong will have more playing time. I'm confident that Cong Phuong will adapt to Korean football. I told him at his new club's launch ceremony: "Each team will have a different coach. The coach's demands on the players will be different. Now that you're back at Incheon, when the new coach asks about tactics, no matter the circumstances, you need to have the attitude to follow the coach's instructions completely." If Phuong can do that, I'm sure he will succeed in the K-League.

- Is the coach aware of the fierce rivalry with Thailand? How has he prepared mentally for the upcoming U23 qualifiers, specifically the match against Thailand?

- Under my leadership, the national team hasn't faced Thailand, but the U23 team did in the M150 tournament at the end of 2017. I'm also thinking and hoping that one day the Vietnamese national team will meet Thailand. We know that Thailand will be the host of the 2020 U23 Asian Championship finals. Although they didn't care about the results in the qualifiers, they trained and prepared very intensely. With the upcoming qualifiers, we're a bit short on time. On March 26th, we'll play against Thailand. On that day, we'll play in our usual style, regardless of the opponent. We're not afraid.

- What areas does Vietnam need to improve in preparation for the U23 qualifiers?

- Several key players are injured and need to recover as soon as possible. Secondly, we've had a bit of time to maximize tactical adaptation with new players. Obviously, many of the players this time are very new. They need time to get used to the team's tactical system. Vietnam has faced many difficulties recently, but we've overcome them all. I affirm that we will move forward with the Vietnamese spirit, to enter the upcoming battle.

- Recently, some Vietnamese politicians, such as Minister of Transport Nguyen Van The, have said while directing work that we must work with the spirit of Park Hang-seo. What are your thoughts on this?

- That's not the Park spirit. That's the Vietnamese spirit. Let me explain clearly: Last year we played in China. I remember meeting with some leaders, and they always asked two questions: First, how could the team be completely transformed in just three months? And second, perhaps the Vietnamese spirit is only now bursting forth. I thought a lot about this, about what the Vietnamese spirit is. That day, we faced Jordan. I talked to the players. I said, "The leaders always talk about the Vietnamese spirit, so what is the Vietnamese spirit?" They talked a lot, but I summarized it into four main points: first, unity; second, self-respect; third, intelligence and agility; and fourth, indomitability, never giving up. I always emphasize these four elements to every player I've worked with.