The country emerged as the big winners from the night with Nguyen Hoang Phuong receiving the prestigious Best Grassroots Leader award, whilst the Football For All in Vietnam (FFAV) initiative was recognised as the Best Grassroots Project. 

Phuong earlier received the AFC Dream Asia Award 2017 for his outstanding commitment shown towards the cause of social development. Over 23 years he has been instrumental in establishing inclusive football clubs, integrating life skills and climate awareness into football training, promoting gender equality, and touching the lives of thousands of children.

Established in collaboration with the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) and the Football Association of Norway, the FFAV originally came into existence in 2001 and has since impacted the lives of almost 100,000 children nationwide. It was recognised as the Best Grassroots Project at the AFC Women’s Football Conference this year. 

Furthermore, the AFC officially announced that the PVF Football Academy in Vietnam was awarded the prestigious Youth Football Academy of the Year 2024 title. This recognition is based on nominations given by national football associations across Asia.

The PVF institution is currently one of only four three-star AFC-accredited academies in Asia and the sole academy in ASEAN to reach this level of excellence. It plays a crucial role in developing young Vietnamese talent, regularly contributing players to Vietnamese youth and national teams, according to the VFF.

The AFC Women’s Football Conference was first held in 2019 and marked its return this year after a five-year hiatus. The event aims to nurture future generations of Asian footballers.

Some other prizes were awarded on the occasion, including China PR’s Tianjin Pengcheng Football Club being recognised as the Best Grassroots Club and Malaysia’s Liga Suparimau winning the Best Grassroots Competition.