Tournament of Friendship

From July 7 to 15 at Hang Day Stadium (Hanoi) and PVF Stadium (Hung Yen), the Department of Political Work ( Ministry of Public Security ) in coordination with the Department of Sports and Physical Training, Vietnam Football Federation and sponsors T&T Group, SHB Bank hosted the 2025 ASEAN Police Football Tournament.

The tournament marked the participation of many countries in the region with 8 teams, including 5 teams from ASEAN (Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Singapore, Timor-Leste), a guest team from Australia and two host teams from Vietnam.

Player Nguyen Nhan Duc of the Vietnam People's Police Team I shared his pride in participating in this tournament: "This is not simply a football match but also an opportunity to exchange and connect between soldiers and police forces in the region."

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The 2025 ASEAN Police Football Tournament is taking place dramatically at Hang Day Stadium ( Hanoi ) and PVF (Hung Yen). Photo: T&T

Souny Sihalat, a Lao player who studied and lived in Vietnam for 5 years, said: “It has been 3 years since my graduation, I have had the opportunity to return to this land. But this time is really special because I came here to participate in the 2025 ASEAN Police Football Tournament as a player of the Lao team. This is a meaningful tournament, helping to strengthen friendship between countries in the region, especially the brotherly relationship and friendship between Vietnam and Laos.”

Player Sovathe from Cambodia also had many emotions: “I really like Vietnamese people, everyone is friendly and hospitable. Vietnamese cuisine is also attractive, especially pho, bun cha and banh mi. I hope football will become a bridge connecting countries in the region, helping to strengthen friendship”.

Unprecedented prize pool for a friendly tournament

With the support of major sponsors such as T&T Group and SHB , this year’s tournament has a “huge” prize pool compared to regular international friendly football tournaments. Accordingly, the total prize pool of the tournament is up to 70,000 USD. The champion team receives 30,000 USD, the runner-up team receives 15,000 USD and each third-place team receives 5,000 USD. The style prize is awarded 5,000 USD.

In addition, the secondary awards for the Best Player, Best Goalkeeper, Top Scorer and Best Referee Team of the tournament will receive USD 2,000 each. The Best Player of each match will also receive a bonus of USD 200.

Such large prize money has also been applied, but only for the national team friendly tournament in September 2022 with 3 participating teams: Vietnam, India and Singapore. In this tournament, the champion team receives 30,000 USD, the second place team receives 20,000 USD and the third place team receives 10,000 USD.

The dedication and understanding of football of T&T Group and SHB also helped to elevate the organization to a new level, approaching international standards. This year, the referees, supervisors, and tournament coordinators from within and outside the country are all capable, qualified, and experienced in running professional football tournaments, ensuring objectivity and fairness for each match.

More importantly, the participating teams are fully provided with places to eat, stay, practice, transportation, and interpreters during the entire duration of the event in Vietnam, ensuring that the athletes stay at 4-star hotels, with gyms, swimming pools, and facilities for recovery after the matches.

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T&T Group Vice President Do Vinh Quang affirmed that the company will accompany the tournament for many years to come. Photo: T&T

"T&T Group always identifies social responsibility as an inseparable part of its development strategy. For over 30 years, we have been steadfast in the philosophy of "business development associated with community service", in which sports is a field of special interest", Mr. Do Vinh Quang - Vice President of T&T Group affirmed.

With the message: Football becomes a bridge for friendship, strengthening cooperation and solidarity in the region, Mr. Hien in particular, T&T Group and SHB in general play the role of "bridge builders of friendship".

Passionate and enthusiastic about Vietnamese football

Businessman Do Quang Hien (born in 1962), commonly known by the nickname Mr. Hien, began his relationship with Vietnamese football in 2006 when he founded the T&T Hanoi club. Unlike many bosses at that time who chose a "shortcut" by buying back a V-League spot, Mr. Hien was determined to start from the roots.

He built a brand new team from the lowest level, focusing on systematically building a youth training system, facilities and a professional environment to “build a house from the foundation”. “Mr. Hien” once affirmed: “We want to start from the beginning to build a football culture, humanity, ethics and tradition”.

Starting out as a third-division team, T&T Hanoi was promoted “lightning fast” for three consecutive years to win the right to play in the V-League in 2009. In the first professional season, the capital team made a splash when they resolutely recruited star Le Cong Vinh for 7 billion VND. Vietnamese football at that time had never had such an expensive contract.

From an unknown name, Hanoi T&T (renamed in 2010) gradually rose to become a leading force in the V-League with its first championship this year. Up to now, with a long-term and methodical investment strategy, Hanoi (renamed in 2016) has become one of the most successful clubs in Vietnamese football with 6 V-League championships, 3 National Cups and 5 National Super Cups.

Not only that, the Capital team also dominates youth tournaments, continuously winning championships at the U17, U19, U21 levels, thereby creating a strong force of successor players.

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Mr. Hien's football team provides many good players for the Vietnam national team. Photo: T&T

Hanoi FC has contributed to forming a golden generation for national football. Players who grew up in Hanoi's training center such as Quang Hai, Duy Manh, Dinh Trong, Hung Dung, Van Hau... contributed greatly to the achievements of the national team such as the 2018 U23 Asian Cup runner-up, the 2018 AFF Cup champion, the 30-31 SEA Games Gold Medal, and then the recent 2024 ASEAN Cup championship in Thailand.

Not only stopping at the club level, Mr. Hien always aims for the common development of Vietnamese football and the sports community. Whenever the country's football needs him, he is ready to join hands with all his enthusiasm and resources.

At the end of 2024, right before the ASEAN Cup final, SHB bank offered a 2 billion VND reward for the championship, and at the same time, Mr. Hien personally hired a private plane to transport 600 fans and players' families to Thailand to cheer on the Vietnamese team.

Previously, he was also one of the people who contributed funds to buy the 2022 World Cup television copyright for Vietnamese audiences, and accompanied the National Assembly Television to broadcast the matches of the 2023 Women's World Cup.

Not only being attached to football and accompanying national-scale sporting events, Mr. Hien, T&T Group and SHB Bank also have many contributions to the country such as joining hands in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, pioneering in sustainable development activities for social security, while honoring culture and preserving traditional national values.

Not noisy, not ostentatious, but what Mr. Hien, T&T Group and SHB have done over the past 30 years shows a model of businessmen for the community, always putting the common interest first, persistently contributing to the country's sports.

Phuong Dung

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/bau-hien-manh-tay-tai-tro-giai-bong-da-cong-an-canh-sat-asean-mo-rong-2025-2419860.html