Vietnamese defender Doan Van Hau

The three nominees still in contention for the title are Lugman Hakim of Malaysia, Shamsudin Suphanat Muenta of Thailand, and Fabian Andres Monge of Australia. 

Elsewhere, Vietnamese player Tran Van Vu will be up against Malaysian Mohd Khairul Effendy B. Mohd Bahrin for the Best Futsal Player of the Year title.

Furthermore, the Vietnamese futsal national team has also been nominated for the title of Futsal Team of the Year.

In the hunt for the title for Best Player of Southeast Asia, Vietnamese midfielder Nguyen Quang Hai has been shortlisted for the title along with Chanathip Songkrasin of Thailand.

In addition, manager Mai Duc Chung has been nominated for the Coach of the Year award in the women’s football category after leading Vietnam’swomen’s national team to victory in the fifth SEA Games.

Along with Mai Duc Chung’s nomination, the head coach of Vietnam’s men’s national football team Park Hang-seo has been shortlisted for the Best Coach title along with Malaysian coach Tan Cheng-hoe. The pair beat off competition from four other rivals to win the nomination.

The AFF Awards Night will be held in Hanoi on November 8. In total, the awards consist of 18 prizes which are given to individuals and organisations in recognition of their contribution to football in Southeast Asia. VOV