The story of Tet (Vietnamese New Year) and football.

Typically, national football league matches are scheduled on weekends, while clubs participate in continental cups and national teams take part in FIFA Days mid-week, on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and weekends. Of course, teams get time off for Christmas or New Year's in Europe, and Lunar New Year in some Asian countries. Vietnamese football is no exception. However, in the context of deep integration today, Vietnamese players playing domestically get time off for the Lunar New Year, but those playing abroad do not.

Perhaps the first example is female footballer Huynh Nhu, currently playing in Portugal, or Cong Phuong, playing in Japan, a country that has abandoned the Lunar New Year holiday as many people know. This 2024 Lunar New Year will be the third time Huynh Nhu has celebrated it away from her family, while still playing as usual for her team, Lank Vilaverdense. Immediately after the New Year's Eve celebrations in Vietnam, Huynh Nhu has to take to the field to play for her team.

The first time Huynh Nhu didn't celebrate Tet (Vietnamese Lunar New Year) with her family was in 2022 when she was playing in the 2022 Asian Cup play-off round in India with the Vietnamese women's national team. Last Tet, Huynh Nhu and the whole team took photos and wrote a poem to send back home to wish their families and friends a happy new year. While Huynh Nhu's story may not be an exact replica, it closely reflects the working lives of many Vietnamese people abroad, who still have to work during Tet. However, they have done everything they can to have the warmest and most joyful Tet celebration possible away from home.

The story of Văn Lâm and Nguyễn Filip celebrating the Lunar New Year this year is quite interesting, as they got a holiday like their teammates, reuniting with family and friends, enjoying traditional sticky rice cakes, decorating with peach blossoms, and receiving lucky money. These were short breaks, in harmony with the general atmosphere of society and their teammates. This year, due to difficult circumstances, the Lunar New Year bonus was a little smaller. The main thing is that each player must demonstrate professionalism in their lives and training, aiming for an early start to the new year and readiness for the upcoming intense matches for their clubs and national teams.

One interesting detail during the Lunar New Year holiday is that most players return to their families and hometowns, immersing themselves in the festive atmosphere of traditional villages. Many players and former players also have the opportunity to lace up their boots and play friendly matches in village football tournaments. Cong Vinh, Van Quyen, and many other stars of Song Lam Nghe An have had muddy matches filled with joyful cheers on village fields. It's a rare occasion for people from the countryside to meet and witness their "idols" firsthand, a chance for each person to contribute to the spring festivities and reciprocate the affection of their numerous fans near and far.

This Lunar New Year of the Dragon, Mr. Mai Duc Chung, a renowned figure who has made significant contributions to the achievements of Vietnamese women's football, can now enjoy a complete and fulfilling holiday with his family, his wife, and his beloved children. With his outstanding achievements with the Vietnamese women's national team – winning 6 SEA Games gold medals, reaching the semi-finals of the ASIAD once, winning the AFF Cup once, and most importantly, qualifying for the 2023 World Cup – Mai Duc Chung can be considered a "legend" of Vietnamese football, deserving of great honor and the responsibility of being passed on to the next generation.

When talking about Tet (Vietnamese Lunar New Year) and Vietnamese football, it's impossible not to mention the match on the first day of Tet 2022 between the Vietnamese national team and the Chinese national team, which the home team won 3-1 at My Dinh Stadium in the 3rd round of the 2023 World Cup qualifiers. It was a historic victory, bearing the strong imprint of the success of South Korean coach Park Hang-seo and a golden generation of players like Van Lam, Ngoc Hai, Duy Manh, Quang Hai, Van Duc, Tien Linh… Currently, these outstanding players are still capable of shouldering the responsibility and will play two crucial matches with the Vietnamese national team against Indonesia this March, aiming to secure a ticket to the 3rd round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

To put it simply, the traditional Lunar New Year is a time for family reunions and gatherings, ushering in a new spring filled with great hopes and aspirations. The process of integration will create a diverse and colorful landscape, where players competing both domestically and internationally will face different circumstances and tasks, but all share the common goal of performing well for their clubs and national teams. After each Tet holiday, V-League players will return early, around the 3rd or 4th day of Tet, bringing with them the joy of a new spring, renewed energy, and new expectations. Hopefully, Vietnamese football will quickly turn a new page after its explorations and experiments, after overcoming initial challenges, to truly create a new spring and a new stature on its path to becoming a "dragon" through the important tournaments of 2024.