Coach Park Hang Seo returns to Vietnam after World Cup incident

Coach Park Hang-seo meets Tien Linh again on his trip back to Vietnam after accompanying the South Korean national team at the 2026 World Cup.

After concluding a journey that fell short of expectations with the South Korean team at the 2026 World Cup, Coach Park Hang-seo quickly returned to Vietnam. This trip is not only for rest after a stressful period of work but also an opportunity for the South Korean strategist to meet former students who were closely associated with him during the successful era of Vietnamese football.

Right after returning from North America with the South Korean team, Mr. Park Hang-seo decided to resign as Vice President of the Korea Football Association (KFA), taking responsibility for the team's disappointing results at the World Cup. Facing significant pressure and criticism from his home media, the former head coach of the Vietnamese team chose Vietnam as a stopover to rest before embarking on a new career journey.

A notable highlight of this return trip is the reunion between Mr. Park Hang-seo and striker Nguyen Tien Linh. On his personal page, the forward from Becamex Binh Duong posted a photo taken with his former mentor during an intimate dinner, accompanied by an affectionate caption calling the South Korean strategist "Papa." This moment quickly attracted significant attention from fans, evoking memories of the time they fought side by side in the Vietnamese national team jersey.

Tien Linh is one of the players who flourished remarkably under Coach Park Hang-seo. The striker born in 1997 played a crucial role in the AFF Cup 2018 championship run, reaching the Asian Cup 2019 quarterfinals, and contributed significantly to the Vietnamese team's first appearance in the final round of the Asian World Cup qualifiers. Therefore, even though Mr. Park left the team in early 2023, the bond between the teacher and student has always been maintained.

According to the plan, his stay in Vietnam will be short before Coach Park Hang-seo goes to Thailand to take on a new role. His next destination is Kanchanaburi Power FC, a club competing in the Thai League 2. With extensive experience and deep understanding of Southeast Asian football, the 68-year-old strategist is expected to help the team achieve their goal of promotion to Thai League 1.

Coach Park Hang-seo's return to the Southeast Asian region will undoubtedly continue to attract great attention from experts and fans. As he prepares for a new challenge in Thailand, the emotional reunion with Tien Linh once again demonstrates that the marks he left on Vietnamese football remain intact, both in terms of achievements and the affection of his former players.