‘East meets west’ has long been a subject for story-telling, but this theme is bringing tangible rewards for football in Vietnam. In 2001, the Norwegian Football Federation (NFF) and the Vietnamese Football Federation (VFF) met in Hanoi to launch a project of cooperation - Football for All in Vietnam (FFAV). Two years later, the programme set up in Thua Thien Hue province and has since embarked on development of the game at grassroots levels in the country.

As its name suggests, FFAV's vision is to reach out to as many as possible among the country's 95-million population. To achieve such goals, FFAV began with implementing their programs in schools. And in 2014, with the support by FIFA’s Football for Hope programme (FIFA Foundation), FFAV cast their sights on social centres and resettlement areas, creating opportunities for marginalised children and youngsters to play football and receive life-skills’ education.

As a result, enormous changes have taken place across the country. An extraordinary 216 football clubs have been launched at grassroots level with 190 teams established, accounting for over 1,900 players from schools and social centres. Additionally, 300 events are organised annually where education benefits include fair play, environmental protection as well as knowledge of HIV/AIDS and more.

An added achievement is the development of local managerial and coaching staff. FFAV has proved to be a classic project of fine cooperation, with experts and coaches from Norway and the United Kingdom passing on their football know-how to local counterparts. By May 2016, an entirely Vietnamese managerial team started running FFAV.

"Our vision is clear - football for all," Nguyen Thi Hoa, Vice Director of FFAV, told FIFA.com. "We try to provide opportunities for all those eager to play, regardless of their gender, religion, political or social backgrounds."