Boundless energy and 'Uncle Park' - why Vietnam is dreaming of the World Cup

An escalating series of successes has got Vietnam dreaming of a maiden appearance at the World Cup -- and it's an ambition that suddenly doesn't seem all that far-fetched.

Nationwide street parties broke out last year when Vietnam reached the final of the Asia U23 Championships and won the Southeast Asian title, but that would be nothing if they qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

It is not out of the question for the country of 95 million, who have never previously come close to appearing on the world stage but can now count themselves among Asia's best.

Vietnam followed up a successful 2018 by reaching the last eight of the Asian Cup in January, losing narrowly to eventual finalists Japan and breaking into the top 100 of FIFA's world rankings.

Qualification starts in September for the Qatar World Cup, which FIFA hopes to expand to a record 48 teams, and star forward Cong Phuong says Vietnam are ready to take the next step.

"I do believe it is possible if we have boundless energy, endless efforts and good luck like we had at the Asian Cup," Phuong told AFP.

"We have a great spirit in the Vietnam team and with our coach Mr. Park, he will definitely be a big help for us to qualify."
- 'Huge investment' -
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"We are now seeing the fruits of that huge investment."