He made the remark at a press conference together with other coaches of the teams in Group A of the men’s football at the 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31).

Park said Vietnam are the defending champions, and he knows the Vietnamese people have high expectations for the team.

Talking about the game with Indonesia on May 6, Park noted Vietnam defeated Indonesia to win gold at the 30th SEA Games in the Philippines in 2019. However, Indonesia have a new head coach and have made significant improvements.

Shin Tae-yong, head coach of Indonesia’s U23 team, said his team have new and talented players, and are confident ahead of their game with Vietnam.

Vietnam will have home advantage, but Indonesia will give it their all, he said.

In Group A, Indonesia and Vietnam are viewed as strong contenders for a berth in the semifinals.

Their opening match is scheduled to take place at Viet Tri Stadium in Viet Tri city, Phu Tho province, at 7pm on May 6. It will be broadcast live on VTV5 and VTV6./.