The taxi ride in Vietnam haunted Coach Park
Coach Park's story was quoted by a series of major Korean newspapers, such as News1, TVdaily or Mediapen...
The Korean coach did not specify the time, and only shared that it happened after he and his wife traveled to Cambodia on the occasion of National Day September 2 in Vietnam.
"After traveling to Cambodia for four days and three nights, my wife and I got off at the airport in Vietnam at 11 pm, and there was no taxi," he said. "When I was struggling, a young man waved his hand towards me. I thought he knew I should go forward and asked if he was a taxi? He said yes."
After getting in the car, Coach Park became alert because of the strange music. The driver did not go in the direction of his house, but turned right onto a mountain road. "When I asked him where he was going, he said he was going to the 'office'," Park recalled.
The former Vietnam coach asked the driver to stop but he continued on the unpaved road. After going another 100 m, the car stopped at an empty lot. Outside with a dim green light, Coach Park saw more than a dozen people sitting and the driver got off the car.
"Then he gave me a file and asked me to sign it, but I didn't do it," Park said. "He showed a threatening attitude, so I opened the door and got out of the car. At that time, the people outside simultaneously looked at me and shouted, "Oh! Park Hang-seo. Mr. Park.” Then, a man approached who appeared to be the boss and started arguing with the driver. Finally, he turned to me and told me to go now.
Coach Park said he felt that the other big brother questioned the driver why he brought him - a famous person in Vietnam - here. "Because of this, I still haunt every time I go to the airport," added Coach Park.
In addition to the above, Mr. Park also talked about life in Vietnam, about his relationship with Dutch coach Guss Hiddink or the family of superstar Son Heung-min. He also affirmed that after five years of working, he began to feel that the desire in Vietnamese players was no longer the same as in the early days. "I have to go and change with them," Coach Park shared. "If I stay, I think both me and the players will stagnate. They need new motivation to move on."
Coach Park signed a contract with the Vietnam Football Federation at the end of 2017 and opened the most successful period in Vietnamese football history. Under his rule, Vietnam won a silver medal at the 2018 Asian U23 Championship, won the 2018 AFF Cup, entered the 2018 Asiad quarterfinals, and won a gold medal at the 30th and 31st SEA Games. The team also reached the third qualifying round of the 2022 World Cup, becoming became the first representative of Southeast Asia to win a match here, defeating China 3-1, before closing the tournament with a 1-1 draw at Japan's field.
After the contract expired at the end of January, Coach Park remained in Vietnam. He is expected to return to Korea for a long time from June when the weather is warmer. The 63-year-old leader is also starting a plan to build a youth football academy in Vietnam, and does not deny that he can lead another national team if he receives an attractive offer, except for Vietnam and Korea. Country.
