Laos team arrived in Binh Duong at nearly midnight.

Tuyển Lào đến Bình Dương gần nửa đêm - Ảnh 1. — Lao players push luggage onto the bus to Binh Duong - Photo: NK

The Laos team arrived in Ho Chi Minh City on the evening of March 22, before moving on to Binh Duong to prepare for the opening match against the Vietnamese team in the final qualifying round of the 2027 Asian Cup on March 25.

The flight carrying the Laos team landed at Tan Son Nhat airport at 8:45 p.m. But it wasn't until 10:30 p.m. that coach Ha Hyeok Jun and his team were able to get outside after waiting to go through immigration procedures and get their luggage.

The Lao players quickly pushed their luggage to the waiting bus area to continue to Binh Duong. However, it was not until 11pm that the bus could move because it was still waiting for the coaching staff.

Fatigue is inevitable, but when Lao players see reporters working, they still wave and smile friendly. Especially Damoth Thongkhamsavath - a Lao midfielder of Vietnamese origin who has just joined Thanh Hoa Club.

Tuyển Lào đến Bình Dương gần nửa đêm - Ảnh 2. — Coach Ha Hyeok Jun and his assistant team were the last group to leave Tan Son Nhat airport - Photo: NK

But the last to leave Tan Son Nhat airport was coach Ha Hyeok Jun and a group of other assistants. The Korean coach waited for his assistants to buy a SIM card before getting in his personal car to go to Binh Duong at 11:30 p.m.

Preparing for the match with the Vietnamese team at the 2027 Asian Cup, the Lao team just had a friendly match and lost 1-2 to Sri Lanka at home.

Compared to the match where Laos lost 1-4 to Vietnam in the group stage of the 2024 ASEAN Cup, coach Ha Hyeok Jun has three new faces, French-Lao players who are playing in Europe and the US. They are midfielder Roman Angot, striker Theo Klein and right-back Victor Ngovinassack.

All three played for U22 Laos at the 32nd SEA Games in Cambodia but were not called up for the 2024 ASEAN Cup due to being busy playing for their home clubs and injuries.

According to plan, the Lao team will have their first training session at the auxiliary training ground in Binh Duong on the afternoon of March 23 before having a familiarization session at the main Go Dau field on the evening of March 24.