Vietnam U23 victory - pride of national spirit

The endless enthusiasm of Vietnamese football fans. Photo: Sach Nguyen

My wife is completely clueless about football and it is understandable that this sport called the king of sports cannot convince her to stay in front of the screen for more than 5 seconds.

My daughter is 13 years old, she is a little more "knowledgeable" than her mother when she can only "recognize" soccer player Cong Phuong on TV.However, domestic matches featuring players from the poor countryside of My Son - Do Luong could not keep her in front of the screen for more than 5 minutes. Perhaps the daughter learned about the number 10 - U23 Vietnam through the media of the showbiz world for teenagers.

However, everything changed at the U23 Asian finals.

My wife never missed a single match involving the U23 Vietnam team. She laughed, cheered, was nervous, anxious, adorably cursed and shed tears whenever her team conceded a goal or won. And my daughter was glued to the screen, remembering and calling out each player’s name whenever they had the ball.

I was a little confused about that change.

Burning desire and intense enthusiasm are what people see in Vietnamese football fans. Photo: Internet

When it comes to love for football, Vietnam is probably not inferior to any other country in the world, even the most passionate on the planet. Even the Asian Football Confederation and the Chinese press - the host of the U23 Asian finals had to exclaim: Vietnamese fans have saved a tournament of continental stature.

More than 500 Vietnamese fans have been present and dedicated to the stadiums in Jiangsu Province, China whenever the U23 Vietnam team plays, while other teams have only a few dozen fans at most. When U23 Vietnam has successively defeated the top opponents in the continent, from U23 Australia, Syria, then Iraq to Qatar to confidently enter the final match, the hearts of Vietnamese people in the S-shaped country as well as all over the world have been beating in unison.

Nowadays, football is not just a game, not just a sport anymore. It is the pride of a nation.

The U23 Vietnam team has created an endless source of inspiration and great pride for Vietnamese football lovers. Photo: Internet

If the Qataris knew how much the residents of the land on the East Sea had waited, looked forward to, sobbed, and were nervous… before the semi-final match against their U23 team, they would surely share the failure of the players from the West Asian oil field.

Millions of Vietnamese people waited and put all their faith in the match of U23 Vietnam on the afternoon of January 23. Strangers came together, giving each other hugs full of emotions. Tens of thousands of people across the country, from the highlands to the lowlands, lived in a feeling of happiness that choked them up.

After the thrilling victory of U23 Vietnam against U23 Iraq, fans once again touched the intense desire thanks to the sublime moments of players Quang Hai, Tien Dung, Van Thanh... and all the "warriors" on a strangely wonderful day in China.

The captain and coach of U23 Vietnam - Park Hang Seo calls his students "warriors". Photo source: Internet

Yes! After the unprecedented match against U23 Qatar, the coach - captain of U23 Vietnam called his students "warriors", while the strategist of Vietnamese football - Mr. Le Thuy Hai said that our U23 players are national heroes.

And as soon as the semi-final match ended, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc called to congratulate the entire team; the Office of the President requested the authorities to complete the procedures to award the Medal to the Vietnam U23 football team; Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam also took to the streets to congratulate the success of the young players...

An unprecedentedly bustling atmosphere after a football match. Domestic newspapers almost stopped all content to devote the most important time and position to football. Millions of nicknames on Vietnamese social networks also only posted statuses about football!

And what people see is no longer a pure sport even though it is called the king. This is definitely the national spirit, the pride when the image of the national flag flutters in the international arena.

I believe so!

Only national pride has such power. It is the desire, the pride, the honor of the people when the image of the country is sublimated, and the U23 Vietnam team is the symbol of that desire.

Football has the power to be a call to arms, to connect, to spread the national spirit, to create an unshakable solidarity. It also originates from the traditional history and character of the Vietnamese people, which is to work hard to make a living every day, to love peace, but when there is an incident, they stand shoulder to shoulder.

Vinh City residents had a sleepless night after U23 Vietnam's victory over U23 Qatar. Photo: Sach Nguyen

Modern life with its many negative aspects of development, materialism, money and pragmatism easily makes people think of individualism. However, there is still a spirit of solidarity and national pride. What everyone can see is that people have joined hands when the country is facing a historic moment. Football is sometimes a measure of solidarity and a call to arms.

Thank you U23 Vietnam team!