Quang Hai football player

The award was jointly organised by the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour and Lao Dong newspaper with the aim of honouring individuals who have made significant contributions to the nation in a variety of fields.

Among the 12 individuals to receive the award on July 7, Quang Hai was the youngest and the only athlete among a number of entrepreneurs, teachers, and scientists.

The 22-year-old Hanoi FC midfielder has enjoyed a number of outstanding achievements over the past few years. During the 2018 AFC U23 Championship, he scored five goals as Vietnam reached the final of the tournament before going home with the runner-up title.

At the Asian Games in the same year, Quang Hai played a major role in the Vietnam Olympic team progressing to the semi-finals.

In addition to this, he played key role in the Vietnamese team which won the AFF Cup 2018, having previously gone 10 years without lifting the trophy. A month later, Quang Hai was back with the national team as they made their way out of the group stages at the Asian Cup for the first time.

Despite having already achieved so much in his short career, Quang Hai is expected to bring more success to Vietnamese football in the future.