Vietnam has been assigned to host the draw of the ASEAN Football Championship, or AFF Cup in Hanoi on July 27, which will be broadcast live to ASEAN countries.

As scheduled, the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) will set an official time for the draw at a meeting in Malaysia on April 30.

The AFF hopes that the event will attract attention from the media and fans from across the region after the country has successfully hosted football events in recent years.

Vietnam has also been chosen to co-host the final round of this year’s AFF Cup with Indonesia in December, in which Vietnam will be seeded.

Vietnam , Thailand , Singapore , Indonesia , Malaysia and Myanmar will have byes in the preliminary round, while Laos , Cambodia , the Philippines , Brunei and East Timor will compete in a round robin for the remaining two berths.

In January, officials from the AFF toured event venues – the Hang Day Stadium and the 40,000-seat My Dinh National Stadium in Hanoi to evaluate preparations for this year's AFF Cup.

The country has been in a rush to prepare for the event in order to meet the strict criteria set by the AFF Council for stadia, accommodation and transport.

Two years ago, Vietnam won the AFF-Suzuki Cup, which was co-hosted by Thailand and Singapore , after a 3-2 win in a two-leg final with Thailand .

The AFF Cup, formerly known as the Tiger Cup, has become a symbol of football prowess in Southeast Asia since the inaugural event in 1996.

Since 2002 the tournament has been held in two countries, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the semi-finals and final, which is played on a home-and-away format.

At the first tournament in Singapore in 1996, Vietnam came third before being runners-up in 1998 as the host nation./.