Football commentary in Nghe An poetry: "This Asian tournament is so boring"

Vietnam team hopes to win a ticket to the 1/8 round of Asian Cup 2019. Photo: Hoang Linh/VNA

As soon as the ball rolled on the pitches of the 2019 Asian Cup finals, The Manh had written commentaries before, during and after the matches in Nghe An poetry, very special. Each football commentary poem when shared on his personal page received thousands of likes, hundreds of comments and shares.

Those are the heartfelt words to the players, especially the Nghe An players before the tournament:

"ASIAN is so boring"
The crossbow is followed to continue flying.
Eat well and then keep working.
But what's so strange about West Asia?

…This letter he sent to the children
I hope you always remember one thing
Home audience always give full love
Give the team and follow every step”

(Excerpt from "Letter to Nghe An players)

Dang Van Lam and his teammates suffered a regrettable defeat against Iraq at the 2019 Asian Cup. Photo: Zing.vn

Or it was the heartfelt message of a fan when the home team lost in the opening match against Iraq (January 8):

“Do you watch soccer at home, dad?
"Be careful not to dislodge your teeth."
My child! Even though Vietnam lost the war
You must thank, not criticize!

Don't go online and curse anyone.
The blood flows together, we are all Vietnamese.
Today they are playing with each other.
Full of rage is great fun!

…

Do you understand what I said?
As a Vietnamese, I hope you remember!
No matter how good or bad we play
The national football team is in the heart!

(Excerpt: "The feelings of fans")

When a wave of criticism and attacks against the players emerged on social media after losing to Iraq, especially goalkeeper Dang Van Lam, who was severely criticized by many people for conceding 3 goals, including 1 goal in the last minutes of the second half when he was said to have been “in the wrong position”. In response to this information, The Manh immediately wrote a “rebuttal” poem, advising fans to stay calm and continue to support the team to fight steadfastly:

"Flying and jumping backwards
Making trust confused
Teeth that crossbow on the side?
To encourage them to play?

We reach out to Asia
You are too good
Don't let sweat
Theirs fell in vain”

(Excerpt from "Don't do that")

Xuan Truong continued to play unsuccessfully and was substituted in the 53rd minute of the match. Photo: AFC

Or most recently, after the match against Yemen, The Manh had some good and profound comments:

"Even though I know I will win this battle
But still don't know our team
Go in or go home
So this battle is won but not happy

Now the whole of Vietnam is on the same path.
Must refer to the last two tables.
A peacemaker is a peacemaker.
Head high and go to the next round…

This is a joke, no one should be blamed.
The whole team gave it their all.
Go online and see who is making noise
There is nothing to be indignant about.

(Reporting the Vietnam - Yemen match)

Nghe An fans celebrate the victory of the Vietnam national football team at the AFF Cup 2018 Final. Photo: Document

Manh shared: “I am passionate about football, I love Vietnamese players so I follow all the matches. Not only the Asian Cup but also most other tournaments, I watch and write poems to enthusiastically cheer. Those are poems and comments for entertainment purposes, for fun, so they are not too technical. Each person has their own way of cheering for the team, loving the team. And I express that admiration and love through poetry.”

Before that, Manh was "famous" in the online community for his simple, soulful poems imbued with affection in the "thick" Thanh Chuong dialect or his stories with a strong "hometown" imprint.

After graduating from junior high school, due to difficult family circumstances, Nguyen The Manh (born in 1992) decided not to continue to high school but chose to study a trade and then work abroad in Russia. At the age of 20, living far from home, struggling alone in a foreign land, Manh missed his home and hometown even more.

Manh shared: “Writing poetry in the local dialect is difficult because the Thanh Chuong dialect is heavy, making it difficult to form rhymes and rhythms. It is also easy because it is what I experienced in my childhood, the daily speech, the true stories of my mother, father, and people around me… all of which are available in my mind, so when the opportunity arises, I just express them.

The Manh impressed Nghe An people living far from home and online communities with his rustic poems, "full of" local dialect. Photo: NVCC

The poems Manh writes are mainly to express his feelings, to convey his thoughts and to post on Facebook for fun. After trying to post on the Thanh Chuong Association's pages, he was positively received and encouraged, so he wrote more often.

Manh's wish when posting these poems on the internet is to help the villagers preserve the countryside's language and love...