FIFA President Gianni Infantino arrives in Hanoi

Infantino and FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafstrom arrived at Noi Bai International Airport on a private jet on Wednesday afternoon.

Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) President Tran Quoc Tuan and other VFF officials welcomed the FIFA leaders at the airport.

The two FIFA officials then traveled to their hotel in central Hanoi.

Infantino is scheduled to hold a high-level meeting in Vietnam on Wednesday afternoon before heading to My Dinh Stadium for the decisive ASEAN Cup final at 8:00 pm.

This is Infantino's second visit to Vietnam.

He first visited Hanoi in 2018 to congratulate Vietnam's U23 team after its runner-up finish at the AFC U23 Championship in Changzhou, China.

On Thursday morning, Infantino is scheduled to meet Vietnamese football officials and visit a football training center before leaving Hanoi on a private jet.

His visit, along with Grafstrom's, highlights FIFA's growing interest in Southeast Asian football and provides an opportunity for Vietnam to showcase its efforts to develop its national teams, youth training system, infrastructure and capacity to host international football events.