Female goalkeeper Dang Thi Kieu Trinh has been honoured with the Labour Order, third class, from the State for her significant contributions to Vietnam’s women’s football as a whole, and to the women’s national team in particular, over the past few years.

Vietnamese goalkeeper Dang Thi Kieu Trinh 

In addition to the veteran goalie, other members of the women’s national squad will also be presented with certificates of merit from the Prime Minister.

The bestowment of these noble awards onto the female Vietnamese footballers is scheduled to be conducted immediately after head coach Mai Duc Chung and his players conclude their ongoing 2018 AFC Asian Cup campaign in Jordan and ahead of their departure for the 2018 AFF Championship in Indonesia from June 21 to July 4.

Kieu Trinh is the reigning winner of the Vietnamese Golden Ball (for the best female player of the year). It is the third time in her career that Trinh has claimed the noble title, following the previous two in 2011 and 2012, just one Golden Ball fewer than senior player Doan Thi Kim Chi. The Dong Thap-born keeper has participated in the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games five times, winning three gold medals (2005, 2009 and 2017) and two silver medals (2007, 2013) with the national team. 

Kieu Trinh also joined her national teammates to win the AFF Championship twice (2006, 2012) and produce a fourth-place finish at the 2014 Asian Games, while helping Ho Chi Minh City’s women’s club to win the National Championship six times in 2004, 2005, 2010, 2015, 2016 and 2017.

Kieu Trinh is the reigning winner of the Vietnamese Golden Ball (for the best female player of the year).

Earlier, in late March, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) announced Kieu Trinh as an ever-present figure at the Asian Cup, as she has participated in all Asian Cup competitions within the past decade.

Kieu Trinh and her national teammates are currently competing in the 2018 AFC Women’s Asian Cup in Jordan. After the first two games in Group B, Mai Duc Chung’s side is temporarily standing bottom following their defeats to Japan and Australia.

However, Vietnam could still keep their 2019 World Cup hopes alive if they overcome the Republic of Korea in their last Group B encounter tomorrow to qualify for the playoff match against Group A’s third-place team.

Nhan Dan