HANOI, July 13 (Xinhua) -- The ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) has voted retired Vietnamese footballer Duong Hong Son as one of the seven best AFF Championship strikers ever.
The seven best strikers as voted for by the AFF are Le Cong Vinh, Bambang Pamungkas (Indonesia), Teerasil Dangda (Thailand), Noh Alam Shah (Singapore), Safee Sali (Malaysia), Aung Thu from (Myanmar) and Phil Younghusband (The Philippines).
Hat-tricks against Cambodia and Laos in the 2004 and 2007 editions of the tournament announced Le Cong Vinh to the region, but it was in 2008 that he truly won the hearts of the Vietnamese public.
Vietnam advanced to what was their second final and having not scored prior, Vinh grabbed the winner in a 2-1 victory over Thailand in Bangkok to set up a tantalizing match in Hanoi. With Thailand a goal up and the game on a knife edge, Vinh then secured Vietnam's first ever title with a 94th-minute equalizer as they won 3-2 on aggregate.
Vietnam's national football team will train in South Korea from October 17-28, and play three friendly games there in preparation for the upcoming AFF Championship.
The 2018 AFF Championship, also known as the 2018 AFF Suzuki Cup, takes place between November 8 and December 15 across 10 countries in Southeast Asia.