Special fans of U23 Southeast Asia 2023

Many Vietnamese fans live in Rayong city, Thailand, 182km east of Bangkok. Although traveling to the competition venue is quite inconvenient, there were still quite a number of Vietnamese fans present to cheer for coach Hoang Anh Tuan and his team, including some very special fans.

The days of wandering around to support the Vietnamese team

Mr. Tran Duy Dat - a member of the VFS Northern Supporters Club - is always present in the stands of Rayong Province Stadium and is the conductor of a group of Vietnamese fans who cheer enthusiastically throughout the entire match at the U23 Southeast Asia tournament.

The special thing is that this group of Vietnamese fans was connected and called to gather by Duy Dat himself, and most of them are Vietnamese people living and working in many places in Thailand. “I came here alone. Then I connected with Thai friends to find Vietnamese people here, then asked all Vietnamese groups to call for companionship and cheering for the U23 Vietnam team. I want to always have cheers "Vietnam! Vietnam!" on the field. Every time I hear those cheers, I feel very proud and my heart aches,” Dat shared with Nghe An Newspaper.

Not only in the U23 Southeast Asian tournament, but also in tournaments where the Vietnamese team competes (World Cup Qualifiers, Asian Cup, SEA Games), Mr. Dat arranges his work to follow and cheer for the golden star warriors. He also supports Vietnamese people who want to watch football but cannot buy tickets in both spirit and material, with the hope that the stands will always be bustling to give more strength to the players of the Vietnamese team.

Football and love without borders

His love for the Vietnamese team has helped Tran Duy Dat have the opportunity to connect with a Thai friend, Sakchai Sawangsilp (nickname “Chai”) - also a football fan and jokingly called “the strongest driver in Chonburi”. Because during the past few days, “Chai” has been driving at least 150km/day from his home in Chonburi to Rayong and taking his Vietnamese friends to visit beautiful places and delicious local restaurants.

When asked why he was so enthusiastic, Mr. “Chai” shared: “I have many Vietnamese friends and have been there many times to cheer for football. Every time I went to Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City or Da Nang, I was always warmly and thoughtfully welcomed by Vietnamese friends. I really appreciate that about my friends and want to do something when they come to my homeland.

During the 31st SEA Games, U23 Thailand played at Thien Truong Stadium, Nam Dinh. At that time, I also saw your strong love for football. I was very surprised when the stands were full of seats even though Vietnam team did not play.

Mr. “Chai” admits that he is an enthusiastic fan of Vietnamese teams, but of course except when facing his home team.

If Vietnam plays against Thailand, I will still support my home team. In my heart, Thailand is number 1 and number 2 is Vietnam. “In football, winning and losing is normal. We share our feelings with each other. Football helps us connect and I really appreciate getting to know many Vietnamese friends.”

During the 2023 Southeast Asian U23 tournament, Sakchai Sawangsilp also actively helped his friend Duy Dat contact many places to arrange enough tickets for Vietnamese fans to enter the stadium to cheer on the national team.

Special fans of the Vietnam U23 team

Ms. Cuc is a Vietnamese football lover, currently living and working in Pattaya, Thailand. Married and working here, when she heard that the U23 Vietnam team was competing here, she arranged her work to travel 100km (round trip) to cheer for coach Hoang Anh Tuan and his team. What's even more special is that she also brought her Thai husband along to cheer for her hometown team.

When a reporter from Nghe An Newspaper jokingly asked Mr. Bibat (Ms. Cuc's husband), "If Vietnam meets Thailand, which team will you cheer for?" Mr. Bibat humorously replied with a bright smile, "I cheer for Vietnam, because that is my wife's homeland, a house must have a roof."

Thousands of workers moved from Vietnam to Thailand to support coach Hoang Anh Tuan and his team.

In the match against U23 Philippines, many people were surprised when the B stand of Rayong Province Stadium was covered in red, a large number of fans created a bustling atmosphere, they continuously cheered and shouted "Vietnam". That fueled the fire for the young players, who were less interested when playing abroad. However, in this U23 Southeast Asian tournament, the players have been empowered, played more confidently and are looking forward to the final match.

The final battle of coach Hoang Anh Tuan and his team against a strong team that won the 32nd SEA Games will be a big challenge, but with the encouragement of Vietnamese fans and friends, our young players can be confident and aim for a victory and win the Southeast Asian championship./.