Arsenal representative told the meeting that Arsenal will bring their best formation with first-string players to Hanoi to play the game scheduled at 7:00 pm on the day.

Total cost for the Arsenal trip to Vietnam, which has not been revealed, will be covered by the sponsors Hoang Anh Gia Lai (HAGL) Company and Eximbank. HAGL has been a fruitful partner of Arsenal in the last years with the outcome of the HAGL-Arsenal JMG football academy and the advertisements of HAGL on the Emirates stadium of Arsenal.

The young players of the HAGL-Arsenal JMG beat Arsenal U-18 squad 1-0 during their trip to the UK in January. The result pleased Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger.

“It took us two years to carry out our plan to bring Arsenal to Vietnam. They will come here with the best players of their starting line-up,” said Doan Nguyen Duc, HAGL chairman.

Vietnam Football Federation deputy chairman Le Hung Dung mentioned a challenge that the My Dinh Stadium can accommodate 40,000 seats while the real demand may almost triple that.

Arsenal players are planned to fly from Indonesia to Hanoi on July 15, join a charity activity the following day before playing the game on Jul.17.

Arsenal officials displayed satisfaction after surveying the My Dinh Stadium and hotels in Hanoi. It is expected that Arsenal and the Vietnamese side will approve their contract for the friendly game in the coming weeks.

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