Vietnam has set a goal of making the final of the AFF Futsal Championship – HDBank Cup 2017, scheduled to take place at Phu Tho Gymnasium in Ho Chi Minh City, from October 26 to November 3.

Vietnam's futsal team have left for a friendly tournament in China, which is considered a warm-up for their 2017 AFF Futsal Championship campaign.

The information was announced by Le Hoai Anh, Secretary General of the Vietnam Football Federation, at a press conference for the tournament held in the city, on October 18.

The week-long championship will bring together nine teams from across Southeast Asia, with Vietnam, Indonesia, Brunei, Myanmar and the Philippines making up Group A, while Thailand, Laos, Malaysia and Timor Leste competing in Group B.

The participants will play in a round robin group stage to decide the top two teams that will progress into the semifinals.

The tournament is jointly held by the VFF and the Voice of Vietnam and also serves as the qualifiers for the 2018 AFC Futsal Championship, with the four places being granted to the four semifinalists.

According to VFF Vice President Tran Quoc Tuan, the successful organisation of the championship will serve as a premise for Vietnam to continue hosting international-level competitions in the future.

At the 2015 championship, Vietnam finished in fourth place overall after losing 5-6 to Malaysia in the third-place match.

Nhan Dan