Goal Programme - Vietnam Football Federation - 2001

Football receives staunch government backing in Vietnam and is extremely popular. However, civil war and political instability severely limited any kind of sporting activity for years. By organising courses and seminars and introducing youth competitions in various age categories, the national association is striving hard to restore Vietnamese football to the level it had reached in the 1980s and 1990s. Recent successes included second-place finishes at the South East Asian Games in 1995 and 1999. The U-17 and U-20 teams also qualified for their respective confederation championships - a feat that bodes well for Vietnamese football.

The new Vietnamese association offices were opened on 17 January 2003. Funds from Goal and the FIFA Financial Assistance Programme paid for the premises to be built on land donated by the government. Mohamed Bin Hammam, AFC President and chairman of the Goal Bureau, headed a group of dignitaries from the Asean Football Federation, including President Tengku Tan Sri Dato' Seri Dr Ahmad Rithauddeen, who attended the ceremony. The establishment of a professional league prompted the national association to seek a solution to the growing demands for improved administration and organisation, and the move to the six-storey building will certainly cater for these needs. The Government provided the land free of charge and works closely with the national association to support school football. With the help of the development office in Kuala Lumpur, plans are being devised to ensure that football will be developed on a continual basis in every sector.