Ho Thanh Cang (R) and a Thai ex-footballer exchange commemorative souvenirs before a veteran match in Thailand in 2007

The powerful shots of the “Unbreakable Horse” were heard around the nation and have not been forgotten.

Whether playing for the club Hai Quan (HCMC Customs Department) or the South Vietnam team, Cang was always a threat.

Older fans still remember his wonderful volley that put Hai Quan up 2-1 over their northern rivals Tong Cuc Duong Sat (TCDS - the General Railway Department) in one of the first highly-publicized cross-country matches in 1976.

Cang is remembered for a slew of important goals, not the least of which were the shots that helped his Ho Chi Minh City squad topple the mighty Chinese squad Thien Tan (Tian Jin) in 1977.

Fans had flocked to the stadium though they were all but sure their home team would lose. Cang and his teammates staged a brilliant upset, beating the Chinese 4-1, with Cang himself scoring two goals.

Cang was known to never stop running through an entire match, and his powerful shots earned him the nickname the “Unbreakable Horse.”

Around the world

Cang’s ability to score in difficult situations earned him fame inside and outside Vietnam. France Football magazine praised him after scoring an equalizer that helped the South Vietnam squad draw 1-1 with France’s Olympic team in a 1973 match.

The Indonesian media lauded Cang’s opener in South Vietnam’s 2-0 victory over Indonesia in 1974.

Cang also led the South Vietnam team that shared the Singaporean Petra Sukan championship in 1971 with India after the two teams drew 0- 0 after 90 minutes and agreed to share the title.

However, 64-year-old Cang said his most thrilling experience was in 1973 when Singapore’s former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew awarded him and his team the silver medal at the Southeast Asian Peninsular (SEAP) Games. Yew, looked up to as a model nation-builder in Vietnam, praised the team’s skills.

Cang, who participated in four consecutive biennial SEAP Games from 1967 till 1973, helped his team to two second place titles in 1967 and 1973.

Old habits die hard

In 1981, Cang began coaching Hai Quan and he led them to second place in the 1982-1983 national championships and third place in 1986.

But he quit football when the club was dissolved in 1987.

Cang said he felt uncomfortable leaving the job. He said football was his life and he always followed the sport, even after he left.

After a period of dissatisfaction, he was overjoyed when a new Hai Quan squad, reformed in 1989, won the national championship for the first time in 1991.

Reported by Quang Tuyen