Coach Park Hang-seo ... Awarded Vietnam Government 2nd Class Labor Medal

First Foreign Coach of the Vietnam National Football Team

Congratulatory Banner for Coach Park Hang-seo Awarded Vietnam's Second-Class Labor Medal

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Choi Soon-kyung] On the 31st, banners celebrating the achievements of Coach Park Hang-seo, known as 'Ssaldink, the National Papa,' were simultaneously displayed throughout Saengcho-myeon, Sancheong-gun, Gyeongnam.

In congratulating Coach Park, who hails from Sancheong, not only local residents but also the county sports council, Saengcho-myeon sports council, village chiefs' association, Neulbi Fish Village, and the Bannam Park clan association, along with friends, relatives, and juniors, took the lead.

A county sports council official said, "We felt somewhat disappointed not being able to see Coach Park due to the prolonged COVID-19 situation, so we are very happy to receive such good news. It is uplifting news after a long time. We hope COVID-19 will end soon so that Coach Park can visit his hometown."

Coach Park was appointed as an ambassador for Sancheong-gun in February last year and has been promoting Sancheong in various fields such as attracting Vietnamese tourists, activating international exchanges of Sancheong's agricultural specialties with Vietnam, and revitalizing domestic sports marketing.

Meanwhile, Coach Park was recognized for leading Vietnam to victory at the East Asian (SEA) Games last year for the first time in 60 years and was awarded the 2nd-class Labor Medal by the Vietnamese government on the 27th. Coaches Lee Young-jin and Kim Han-yoon, who assist Coach Park, also received commendations from the Prime Minister.

Coach Park took office as the head coach of the Vietnam A national team in 2017 and simultaneously led the under-23 (U-23) team. He earned the 3rd-class Labor Medal after leading the team to the runner-up position at the 2018 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-23 Championship.

Since then, Coach Park has achieved results such as reaching the semifinals in football at the Asian Games, winning the Suzuki Cup, and reaching the quarterfinals of the Asian Cup. In December last year, he made history by leading Vietnam to victory at the East Asian Games for the first time in 60 years, marking a new chapter in Vietnamese football.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.