Madam Pang went to the Vietnamese embassy to apologize after the incident of misrepresenting the Vietnamese national flag.

TPO - On the afternoon of October 30 in Bangkok, Mr. Pham Viet Hung, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to Thailand, received Ms. Nualphan Lamsam (Madam Pang), President of the Football Association of Thailand (FAT), to apologize for the incident of incorrectly displaying the Vietnamese national flag during the draw ceremony for the 2025 Southeast Asian U19 Futsal Championship.

Báo Tiền Phong•30/10/2025

At the meeting, Madam Pang presented flowers to Ambassador Pham Viet Hung, expressing her goodwill and sending her sincere apologies to the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) and Vietnamese fans, after the incident of displaying the wrong national flag during the draw ceremony for the 2025 Southeast Asian U19 Futsal Championship in Bangkok on October 28.

Expressing deep regret, Madam Pang said: “I understand the feelings of the Vietnamese people about this unfortunate mistake. The Football Association of Thailand always respects national symbols, because they are the pride and dignity of each nation. I hope the Vietnamese people will sympathize and forgive this unintentional mistake."

On the Vietnamese side, Ambassador Pham Viet Hung thanked Ms. Nualphan Lamsam (Madam Pang) for her goodwill and quick, sincere actions in resolving the incident. The Ambassador acknowledged that the Football Association of Thailand (FAT) had sent a letter of apology to the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) and the Southeast Asian Football Federation (AFF), and sent Mr. Adisak Benjasiriwan, FAT Vice President in charge of Futsal and Beach Soccer, to Hanoi to personally apologize on October 29.

Ambassador Pham Viet Hung said that Vietnam understands that the recent incident was unintended, and appreciates the spirit of openness, respect and goodwill from the Football Association of Thailand (FAT).

In 2026, Vietnam and Thailand will celebrate 50 years of diplomatic relations. The two countries recently upgraded their relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, with extensive cooperation in key areas such as politics - security, economy, people-to-people exchange and tourism.