According to the AFF Cup’s official website, having missed the 2020 edition of the tournament due to injury, Van Hau played his first AFF Championship match since winning the 2018 final when he lined up against Laos.

It noted that the attacking full-back struck a stunning outside-of-the-boot goal to mark the occasion.

“Deployed in the left wing-back position, Van Hau proved solid at the back in a Vietnam side that has yet to concede and a constant threat going forward, where his bursting runs and pinpoint crosses are key to the Golden Star Warriors' attacking play,” the website assessed.

Four other best defenders included in the list were Asnawi Mangkualam of Indonesia, Irfan Fandi of Singapore, Sasalak Haiprakhon of Thailand, and Sharul Nazeem of Malaysia.

The announcement of the list comes after Vietnam beat Myanmar 3-0 to earn a place in the AFF Cup’s semi-final round as the group's top team. As a result, Vietnam are scheduled to play Indonesia at 4:30 p.m. (Hanoi time) on January 6.

Global football governing body FIFA said that they will send experienced staff to Indonesia to monitor the match, whilst the Asian Football Confederation will send security officers specifically to attend the game.

These precautions are being taken due to a recent disaster in Indonesia's Kanjuruhan Stadium which saw 130 people die in a stampede during a domestic football match.

Along with this, another incident occurred on December 29 when the bus carrying the Thailand national football team to the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, where the Vietnam and Indonesia match will be held, was surrounded, attacked, and hit with objects by swarms of Indonesian fans.

Source: VOV