VietNamNet Bridge – The Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) worked hard yesterday to arrange a flight for the national squad to Thailand’s Phuket to attend the AFF Cup 2008.

Coach Henrique Calisto (blue) and his footballers.

After Thailand decided to move group B of the AFF Cup from Bangkok to Phuket several days ago, the VFF contacted almost all airlines in Southeast Asia to buy air tickets for the national squad. Vietnam Airlines promised to arrange a flight for the team on December 4. However, the VFF wanted to send the team to Thailand on December 2 because if the team goes to Thailand on December 4, players would have only one day to get familiar to Phuket.

The VFF set up a working group led by Secretary General Tran Quoc Tuan to solve logistical issues related to the national team. The VFF Nguyen Trong Hy asked the working group to buy air tickets to Thailand on December 2 at any cost.

The VFF considered several plans and it finally found out the best route. Accordingly, Vietnamese footballers left HCM City’s Tan Son Nhat Airport at 10:35am this morning on an aircraft of Vietnam Airlines. The flight had a transit at Singapore’s Changi Airport at 1:25pm. The team will stay at Changi until 7:00pm this evening and then go to Phuket on a flight of Silk Air.

After 45 minutes on Silk Air flight, the team will arrive in Phuket and will be brought to Royal Phuket City Hotel.

The team plans to leave Phuket on a flight of Silk Air to Changie on December 11 and then arriving in Hanoi on a Vietnam Airlines flight on the same day.

(Source: Tien Phong)