“Malaysia is now stronger than they were in the 2018 AFF Cup. They played well against Indonesia and the UAE. Vietnam should be more cautious,” Dung warned.

“Despite the defeat in the 2019 AFC Cup, Hanoi FC players will focus 100% on the World Cup qualifiers. Coach Park Hang-seo gave us a lot of encouragement,” said Dung of Hanoi FC’s loss to North Korea’s April 25 in the AFC Cup inter-zonal finals last week.

Dung said he felt sorry for midfielder Xuan Truong, who has been dismissed because of a serious injury.

“It is really bad news. But we are confident that we will find a good replacement,” he said.