Quang Hai: ‘Rainbow in the Snow’ is the symbol of Vietnamese spirit

At a snow-clad Changzhou Olympic Sports Centre, Nguyen Quang Hai curled home a stunning free-kick to draw Vietnam level with Uzbekistan in the final with what would later become renowned in the Southeast Asian nation as the ‘Rainbow in the Snow’.

While the young Golden Stars went on to lose the match 2-1 after a goal in the last minute of extra-time, the campaign saw both Quang Hai and a talented young Vietnamese team gain recognition across the Continent and began a two-year period in which they have achieved success after success.

Now, with the 2020 edition set to kick off in Thailand on January 6, Park Hang-seo’s team will begin the competition among the favourites to lift the title and also qualify for the Tokyo Olympics as one of the top three sides.

“The tournament in 2018 is so memorable for me and my teammates as it was the first time Vietnam’s U23 side reached the final, but we played in conditions we had never experienced before,” the U23 captain Quang Hai told the-AFC.com.

“But we faced the challenge with unity, confidence and a big ambition to achieve victory; we never gave up.

“The ‘Rainbow in the Snow’ is the best symbol because my teammates used their hands to help remove snow from around the ball, and it was a very emotional moment when the ball hit the back of the net.

“Now, when we look back at the photos, I feel like we look like the heart in the snow. The goal was not mine, it was the symbol of the Vietnamese competitive spirit.”

Despite the disappointment, Vietnam went from strength to strength thereafter and claimed their first AFF (ASEAN Football Federation) Championship since 2008 after defeating Malaysia in the final at the end of 2018.

More success followed as the Golden Stars reached the quarter-finals of the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 and then, at the end of the year, they won gold at the SEA Games.

Quang Hai, who finished as the competition’s second highest scorer at China 2018, also starred in his club side Hanoi FC’s run to the AFC Cup Inter-Zone final while the dead-ball specialist has played an integral role as his country currently top their FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and AFC Asian Cup China 2023 Asian Qualifiers group.

“Making the final in 2018 gave us so much collective confidence and made us believe in our ability, so achieving high positions at the AFF Championship and the AFC Asian Cup has made us very proud,” said Quang Hai, whose team qualified for the 2020 tournament with a perfect record following wins over Thailand, Indonesia and Brunei Darussalam.

“We had waited a long time to win the SEA Games, therefore we were also very happy to achieve that and each title is precious.

“Now at the AFC U23 Championship no one will underestimate Vietnam anymore so this will give us a great challenge and we have to make sure we prepare for all our matches.”

Vietnam will kick off their Group D campaign in Thailand against the United Arab Emirates on January 10 before meeting both Jordan and DPR Korea in a group they will be favourites to progress from.

The Southeast Asians will travel to Thailand with the hopes of a nation resting upon them as they target a place at the Olympic Games in Japan later in the year and aim to underline their status as one of the greatest Vietnam sides in history.

A familiar feature of the past two years has been the tens of thousands of Golden Stars fans taking to the streets in cities across the country to celebrate the ongoing success and, should they continue their upward trajectory in Thailand, the party is sure to be bigger and better that ever before.

“Vietnamese football continues to grow and it will not stop; in the future I’m sure there will be an even better generation than us,” added Quang Hai.

“The love of our fans makes us so happy and we feel their support both at home and when we’re away, but with their expectation comes high pressure for the team.

“Every day we must try to improve and we want more success at the AFC U23 Championship. We have a difficult group but we will fight for victory to make the Vietnamese people happy.”