The Southeast Asian Championship Cup and a businessman's passion for football

After winning 3-2 against Thailand in the second leg of the final at Rajamangala Stadium, bringing Vietnam to the ASEAN CUP 2024 championship, Duy Manh and Thanh Chung - two players of Hanoi Club ran to hug "boss" Hien. "Uncle, we did it" - with a tight hug, Duy Manh lifted up SHB Chairman Do Quang Hien as if he wanted to express all his feelings and spread the joy of victory. If you look back at the photo of the Vietnamese team and boss Hien when celebrating the championship, Duy Manh's eyes were always directed towards that man. A gaze filled with joy and happiness - the eyes of a warrior on the field. Thanh Chung, another "child" from Hanoi Club also ran to boss Hien, politely holding hands, filled with emotions. Other players such as Hai Long, Tuan Hai... were all the same. They shared the joy of victory and success with Mr. Hien SHB - who has accompanied them since they were children until they became Sao Vang warriors. They did not forget where they came from. The dedicated boys have affirmed their level. The image at Rajamangala Stadium today, appeared at My Dinh in 2018, when Mr. Hien also lost his voice in extreme joy. Those are historical moments, not everyone can easily have once in their life. That image also moved and touched the hearts of many people.

Mr. Hien celebrates with the players of Hanoi Club.

In the 2024 ASEAN Cup campaign, Mr. Hien's club contributed 5 players to the national team. No other club contributed more players than that. Not only now, in the most glorious years of Vietnamese football, Mr. Hien was one of the first to be recognized. For a long time, he determined that there was no more successful and sustainable path than investing in the future. From the reasonable, methodical and persistent investment of businessman Do Quang Hien, talented players such as Quang Hai, Hung Dung, Doan Van Hau, Thanh Chung, Duy Manh, the main factors that made the victory of Thuong Chau, the championship title of AFF Cup 2018, the semi-finals of Asian Games 2018, the quarter-finals of Asian Cup 2019, the third qualifying round of World Cup 2022 and 2 consecutive times winning the SEA Games Gold medal. With a new generation of talent, the position of Vietnamese football has broken out of the regional level, starting to dream big dreams. When the generation of players Duy Manh and Hung Dung were at their peak, the next generation was born, including Hai Long, Tuan Hai, Bui Hoang Viet Anh, Van Tung and Van Truong. They created continuity, ensuring that the team always moved forward. In this ASEAN Cup campaign, in layman's terms, "boss" Hien continued to "play big" when accompanying Vietnamese football. This is a very familiar story. Whenever money is needed, boss Hien generously takes out his wallet, and of course everyone knows Mr. Hien as someone who spares no expense when it comes to football.

Mr. Hien hired a plane to bring 600 fans and relatives of the players to Thailand to cheer on the Vietnamese team in the second leg of the final. The bank awarded 2 billion VND for the ASEAN Cup championship.

But a person with that much money and willing to spend a lot to support football also said this about money: "If I did football just for economic benefits, I would quit immediately. When you join football, you have to be determined to contribute, not demanding and very persistent" - he shared in an interview in 2018, after the miracle of U23 Vietnam in Changzhou (China). Not just a person who spends money, Mr. Hien's relationship with football is more multifaceted: he is an avid fan, a... coach, a leader and even a... scout. A few times, when going to watch an unknown amateur tournament at the stadium of the Hoang Mai District Sports and Cultural Center, Mr. Hien appeared in a simple T-shirt and flip-flops, going to the field to watch a very normal match of the office team SHB FC. All his joys, anger, love and hate were carried away with each ball on the field, even though this was not a stadium with tens of thousands of spectators and there were no billion-dollar feet on the field. Then one day, people saw him again at another amateur field, directly demonstrating to some female office players of SHB. Standing in the middle of the circle of players, Mr. Hien passionately talked about the spirit of sportsmanship, and the way he wanted the team to play. Like a coach conveying his will to his players.

Mr. Hien conveys his will to the players.

And everyone remembers the story of him, along with Coach Trieu Quang Ha and Coach Hoang Van Phuc, going directly to Thai Binh to watch the legs of a boy who later became a typical factor of the most successful generation of players in the history of Vietnamese football: Doan Van Hau. “SHB leaders all have this mindset: from the Heart comes the Vision. To have knowledge and intelligence, everything must come from the heart” - Mr. Nguyen Huy Tai, Deputy General Director of SHB Bank and also the manager of the SHB FC men's football team, explained. “To put it simply, if you love a football team, you will take care of that team. If you love a branch, you will take care of the whole branch. The word “heart” here is your love. The more people love, the more vision they have, the more people they can care for. The more love, the more vision.” In addition to money and generosity, another question is also raised, why is the portrait of Mr. Hien with football always so vivid and different from a billionaire who simply spends money. And the answer is very simple: he has given away something more precious than money to a trillionaire businessman. That is time. Mr. Hien has maintained this presence for more than two decades, as a persistent patron, not only appearing at major football fields and top matches in Vietnam, but also directly going down to grassroots tournaments, where office workers play part-time for fun and health. In addition to hundreds of billions of dong invested in football, Mr. Hien has also invested his attention and his already very busy time. And in nearly a decade, this passionate man has seen the sweet fruits: players who grew up from the training centers he built account for an overwhelming proportion of the Vietnamese national teams. His favorite players such as Van Quyet, Hung Dung, Duy Manh, Thanh Chung... have directly and indirectly brought glory to national team football over the past 5 years, such as SEA Games Gold Medal, AFF Cup Gold Medal, U23 Asia Runner-up... and this time, ASEAN Cup 2024.

The ASEAN CUP 2024 cup and the strong shadow of a boss.

And the way of doing football from the root of the Chairman of SHB Bank has been recognized as a standard of professional football. The businessman with a burning and pure love for football carries within him the desire to bring the country's football to the region and continent. He chose the direction of sustainable development, building and training from the very talented young players of the country, even though that path requires a lot of time and money. Thank you Mr. Hien for your presence. Money is very important for football, but attention and enthusiasm are even more important. Source: https://nhandan.vn/chiec-cup-vo-dich-dong-nam-a-va-su-nhiet-huyet-voi-bong-da-cua-mot-doanh-nhan-post855003.html