It has been a long wait for Vietnamese fans eager to see their side compete against the cream of Asia in the continent's biggest football competition.
While the South East Asian side has played at the first two editions of the AFC Asian Cup, the 2007 tournament marks their first appearance in the final round in 47 years.
A founder member of the Asian Football Confederation in 1954, the Republic of Vietnam (or South Vietnam) participated in the inaugural tournament in Hong Kong two years later, qualifying for the final round after a 7-3 aggregate victory against Malaysia in the preliminary competition.
Most of Vietnam's recent disappointments have come at the hands of Thailand, who defeated the Indochinese side in the SEA Games finals in 1995, 1999 and 2001, and also accounted for them in the semi-finals of this year's Asean Football Championship semi-finals with a 2-0 win in Hanoi.
Vietnam's cause has not been helped by match-fixing scandals, the most recent involving their under-23 side at the 2005 SEA Games. The incident led to the arrest of four players including young star striker Pham Van Quyen, who was subsequently sentenced to two years in prison and barred from Vietnamese domestic football for four years.
But for all of their disappointments, coach Alfred Riedl and his team can always count on the support of their passionate fans who, win or lose, will fill the My Dinh Stadium.
Goalkeepers
1 Bui Quang Huy
22 Duong Hong Son
23 Tran Duc Cuong
24 Nguyen The Anh
Defenders
2 Phung Van Nhien
3 Nguyen Huy Hoang
4 Doan Viet Cuong
5 Nguyen Van Bien
6 Pham Hung Dung
7 Vu Nhu Thanh
13 Mai Tien Thanh
16 Huynh Quang Thanh
25 Nguyen Thanh Long Giang
28 Mai Xuan Hop
29 Chau Phong Hoa
Midfielders
8 Dong Huy Thai
11 Phung Cong Minh
12 Nguyen Minh Phuong
14 Le Tan Tai
15 Nguyen Minh Chuyen
17 Nguyen Vu Phong
19 Phan Van Tai Em
20 Tran Duc Duong
30 Le Hong Minh
Forwards
9 Le Cong Vinh
10 Huynh Phuc Hiep
18 Phan Thanh Binh
21 Nguyen Anh Duc
26 Hoang Ngoc Linh
29 Nguyen Viet Thang
